The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, has received a significant posthumous donation from the foundation of one of its former trustees, Bulgarian-American software developer Aso O. Tavitian, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 80.
The donation includes 331 artworks and a $45 million endowment to support a new curatorial position, fund ongoing collection care, and finance the construction of a gallery wing named in Tavitian’s name, focused on European artworks.
The collection gift features 132 paintings and 130 sculptures, with works by Parmigianino, Peter Paul Rubens, and Jan van Eyck included.
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Works from Tavitian’s estate, spanning the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, expand the Clark’s existing holdings, which have been growing since it was established as a nonprofit affiliated with Williams College in 1955.
The donation comes two years after the institute’s board approved a 2022 campus expansion, focused on updating the facilities with a redesign and increasing the museum’s annual visitor count, which it estimates is roughly around 200,000.
In a statement announcing the gift, Olivier Meslay, director of the Clark Art Institute, expressed gratitude to the donor’s foundation for entrusting the collection to the Clark, calling the gift “transformational” for the Berkshire institution, located over three hours north of New York City.
Esther Bell, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, noted that the funding ensures the public will have ongoing access to a rotating display of these works.