Edvard Munch's "The Scream" is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Have you ever seen another Munch painting? I hadn't until this weekend. The Clark in in Williamstown, MA has a new exhibit on Munch and it is really something. This is the only stop in the US for the show and many of the paintings come from private collections. Totally enjoyable with great colors, I think it's woth the trip. And if you've never been to the Clark I'm sure you'll be impressed with the permanent collection. It runs until October 15.
Well said, Waquoit. Your post was a pleasant surprise for me. I've been fortunate to have a brother who went to Williams College and together, and with family and friends, we have enjoyed the Clark, the world-famous Williamstown Theatre Fest and the wonderful Taconic Golf Club, all in town, for going on 60 years now.
If you're a golfer, Taconic is a destination; if you're a theater lover, so is the theater fest; if you're into art, there's nowhere better than The Clark, as it's known. As you said, the permanent collection is expansive and ranges from a bounty of Renoirs to a large collection of Winslow Homers.
Just in the past few years, The Clark has hosted exhibits of Rodin, Van Gogh, Munch and many other great artists, sculptors, et al, and often The Clark is the sole art museum in the States which shows those pieces, brought across The Pond just for its exhibits. I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit of Nikolai Astrup, a fellow Norwegian of Munch, just last year.
I saw the Munch exhibit a couple of weeks ago on a day too hot for golf and enjoyed it very much. As much as most exhibits I've seen, Munch's work speaks to his apparently unhappy life... it just seems so many famed artists were not blessed with happiness. 'The Scream' could be interpreted to be a prototype for that.
The Clark also has become one of the numerous venues which stream performances from the Metropolitan Opera in NYC. Just last year, we enjoyed Puccini's 'Turandot' (of Nessun Dorma fame).
I don't know how close you are to Williamstown, Waquoit, but a membership at The Clark is inexpensive and provides numerous cool perks.
Hope to see you there some time!
