The Clark Art Institute

Museums ·Williamstown ·Closed
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About

The Clark Art Institute is an art museum and research center at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts, known for French Impressionist art.

What's on here

Why go

  • More than 30 paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, part of the French Impressionist collection.
  • The Manton Collection of British Art, including works by J.M.W. Turner and John Constable.
  • Outdoor sculptures and installations across the campus, free to view.
  • Walking trails through 140 acres of meadows and woods, with free snowshoes to borrow in winter.
  • A three-tiered reflecting pool visible in the warmer months.

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 17:00Show all
Monday10:00 – 17:00
Tuesday10:00 – 17:00
Wednesday10:00 – 17:00
Thursday10:00 – 17:00
Friday10:00 – 17:00
Saturday10:00 – 17:00
Sunday10:00 – 17:00

Don't miss

  • Altarpiece by Ugolino di NerioMade for Santa Croce between 1317 and 1327, this is one of the collection’s early works.The museum collection.1317–1327
  • Fumée d’Ambre GrisA painting by John Singer Sargent.The museum collection.
  • Nymphes et SatyreA painting by William Bouguereau.The museum collection.

Know before you go

  • Open Monday–Sunday, 10:00–17:00.
  • Tickets are sold online through the institute's website.
  • Cows graze on and around Stone Hill in warmer months; do not approach them.

What's inside

  • The collection includes paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs and decorative arts from the 14th to the early 20th century.
  • The original museum building has American and decorative art galleries.
  • The Clark Center has special exhibition galleries, dining and retail areas, and family spaces.
  • The Manton Research Center houses the library, research programs, an auditorium, a courtyard, galleries and a study center.

Tips for your visit

  • Enter through the Clark Center, northwest of the original museum building.
  • The research library is open to the public and free to enter.
  • The Lunder Center at Stone Hill has a seasonal terrace café.
  • Give the cows on and around Stone Hill space; they prefer not to be approached.

Interesting facts6

1/6
  1. 295,000 volumes

    The research library holds more than 295,000 volumes in over 72 languages.

    Clark Art Institute - Wikipedia
  2. The library’s rare books include volumes once owned by Robert Sterling Clark.

    Clark Art Institute - Wikipedia
  3. Daniel Perry designed the original museum building in white marble and a neoclassical style.

    Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute - Wikipedia
  4. Tadao Ando designed the Lunder Center at Stone Hill and the Clark Center.

    Clark Art Institute - Wikipedia
  5. The reflecting pool uses recycled water.

    Clark Art Institute - Wikipedia
  6. The Lunder Center also houses the Williamstown Art Conservation Center.

    Clark Art Institute - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

Sterling and Francine Clark built their collection together, focusing on 19th-century French painters. They chose a rural site partly to protect the collection from a possible attack on New York City. They chartered the institute in 1950, and the museum opened in 1955. Later additions included the Lunder Center at Stone Hill and the Clark Center. In 2024, a gift from the Aso O. Tavitian Foundation brought 331 European artworks to the institute.

  1. 1950Sterling and Francine Clark chartered the institute to house their collection.
  2. 1955The museum opened to the public on May 17.
  3. 1962The art research library was established.
  4. 1972A graduate program in art history began in cooperation with the institute.
  5. 1973The research center, designed by Pietro Belluschi, was completed.
Show all
  1. 2007The Fondation Manton donated its founders' collection of British art to the museum.
  2. 2014The Clark Center opened.

Sources: Clark Art Institute - Wikipedia · Williamstown (Massachusetts) - Wikivoyage (see) · Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute - Wik… · Clark Art Institute - Wikipedia · The Clark Art Institute: tickets (its own site) · The Clark Art Institute: how it describes itsel… · checked 29 Oct 2026

Where
225 South Street, MA, Williamstown Massachusetts

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Is The Clark Art Institute free?

The outdoor sculptures and installations are free to view, and the research library is free to enter.

Where is The Clark Art Institute?

It is at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The main visitor entrance is in the Clark Center.

How can I buy tickets to The Clark Art Institute?

Tickets are sold online through the institute’s website.

What can children do at The Clark Art Institute?

The Clark Center has family spaces. The campus also has walking trails through meadows and woods.

Can you visit The Clark Art Institute in winter?

Visitors can borrow snowshoes for free to explore the campus trails in winter.

Does The Clark Art Institute have a café?

The Lunder Center at Stone Hill has a seasonal terrace café.

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