An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Aso O. Tavitian Collection

The Clark celebrates the transformative gift received in October 2024 from the foundation of the late collector, philanthropist, and connoisseur Aso O. Tavitian with an introductory look at this exceptional collection. The exhibition highlights a selection of works from what is arguably the most significant private collection of European art assembled in North America in the twenty-first century.
Born in Bulgaria of Armenian descent, Tavitian immigrated to the United States in 1961. Beginning in 2004 and continuing until his death in 2020, he assembled a treasure trove of artistic masterpieces that reflect a profound interest in the human experience. This presentation traces the history of European art from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century through the lens of some of the greatest achievements in painting, sculpture, and decorative arts.
Featuring works by many of the most acclaimed artists of the early modern era—Jan van Eyck, Andrea della Robbia, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Peter Paul Rubens, Jean-Antoine Watteau, and Jacques Louis David, among others—this exhibition marks the first public presentation of selections from the Aso O. Tavitian Collection. The full collection will go on view in summer 2028 when the Clark opens the new Aso O. Tavitian Wing adjacent to the current permanent collection galleries.

An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Aso O. Tavitian Collection is organized by the Clark and curated by Esther Bell, deputy director and Robert and Martha Berman Lipp Chief Curator; and Lara Yeager-Crasselt, Aso O. Tavitian Curator of Early Modern European Painting & Sculpture.
This exhibition is made possible by Denise Littlefield Sobel. Major funding is provided by Hubert and Mireille Goldschmidt, with additional support from Robert Dance and Robert Loper, the Asbjorn Lunde Foundation, Inc., and Kathleen Morris and Robert Kraus.

Elisabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun - Self Portrait in Studio Costume

2025. 1800, oil on panel. The Clark, gift of the Aso O. Tavitian Foundation, 2025.1.234