London: Clark Institute exhibition comes to Royal Academy

It must have been wonderful to have been Sterling and Francine Clark, who lived in Paris from 1910. The Clarks were heirs to a sewing machine fortune from Sterling Clark’s grandfather, who was Isaac Singer’s business partner. They loved the work of Renoir and other Impressionist painters and collected with abandon.

In 1955, they founded the Sterling and Francine Clark Institute in Williamstown, Mass., as a permanent home for their collection, but from Saturday until Sept. 23, 70 of their paintings (including more than 20 Renoirs) will be on display for the first time in London at the Royal Academy. Along with the Renoirs, there will be works by Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Alfred Sisley and others.

After London, the exhibition moves to Montreal before going to Japan and China.