How to Choose a Masterpiece

The Clark Art Institute receives one of its largest gifts—331 works of art from the foundation of Aso O. Tavitian. Time soon to build a new wing to house the treasures.

By Patti Zielinski

Shortly after Esther Bell began working as a curator at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, she was invited to Aso O. Tavitian’s residence for lunch. “When I entered his home, I was blown away by the museum quality of his collection; it far exceeded my expectations,” says Bell, now the museum’s deputy director and chief curator.

Antoine-Jean Gros, Portrait of Count Honoré de La Riboisière, 1815. Oil on canvas.
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, Gift of Aso O. Tavitian Foundation.

Over the years, Bell had the honor of getting to know Tavitian—long a friend of the Clark and a member of the Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2012—and his approach to collecting. Little did she know how vital a role the Clark would play in the preservation of his legacy.

In October, the Clark announced it had received one of the largest gifts in its history from the foundation of the late philanthropist, who died in 2020: 331 artworks, consisting of 132 paintings, 130 sculptures, 39 drawings, and 30 decorative arts objects from his personal collection.

Recognized as one of the world’s most discerning art connoisseurs, Tavitian, a Bulgarian of Armenian descent who immigrated to the United States in 1961, had previously shown some of his collection at the Clark, notably in 2011 when he loaned 30 paintings and one sculpture for the exhibition Eye to Eye: European Portraits, 1450–1850.

Jan van Eyck and workshop, Madonna of the Fountain, c.1440. Oil on panel
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, Gift of Aso O. Tavitian Foundation.

The gift also included more than $45 million to endow a new curatorial position, care for the collection, and build a new Aso O. Tavitian Wing, where the entirety of the gift will be on view during an introductory period after the wing opens between 2027 and 2028. This will be a rare opportunity to view Tavitian’s works on paper, which will afterward be stored for study and presented in periodic displays. The majority of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts objects will be continually shown in the Tavitian Wing and in the Clark’s permanent collection galleries. (The Tavitian Foundation will sell the remainder of the collection of more than 900 works next year at Sotheby’s.)

Prior to his death, Tavitian discussed his intentions to donate a significant portion of his collection to the Clark. “He wanted the artworks coming to the Clark to be representative of the spirit of the collection but was also conscious that we wanted something that was fitting for the public,” says museum director Olivier Meslay.

Antoine-François Gérard, Game of Hoops, c.1780–89. Wax.
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, Gift of Aso O. Tavitian Foundation. Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2024

The gift will complement the Clark’s holdings of art before 1850 and strengthen the current collection. Sculpture particularly is a great strength of the collection, with works in bronze, plaster, terracotta, marble, and other materials dating from the Renaissance through the late 19th-century by artists who include Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Andrea della Robbia, Gil de Siloé, Clodion (Claude Michel), and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. The addition of the 130 sculptures gives a significant boost to the Clark’s permanent holdings. “It radically transforms the sculpture collection and will be the most visible impact to visitors,” Meslay says.

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