Guggenheim Family Member Will Discuss His Memoir Growing Up Guggenheim
WILLIAMSTOWN - Peter Lawson-Johnston, a member of the Guggenheim family's fifth generation, will discuss his memoir Growing Up Guggenheim on Sunday, May 18, at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. This free lecture begins at 3 pm. Following the lecture, Lawson-Johnston will be available to sign copies of his book.As the board president of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation from 1969 to 1995, Lawson-Johnston oversaw the transformation of the renowned museum from a local New York institution to a global art venture. His personal memoir includes intimate portraits of the five people principally responsible for the Guggenheim art legacy. Walter Cronkite described Growing Up Guggenheim as "a 'can't put it down' book of extraordinary and surprising revelations by a Guggenheim about the private lives of that fabulous and opulent family."
In addition to first-hand biographical accounts of his grandfather Solomon Guggenheim (the museum's founder), his cousin Harry (Solomon's successor), and his famously rebellious cousin Peggy (whose magnificent Venice art collection he helped bring under New York Guggenheim management), Lawson-Johnston tells the stories of long-time museum director Thomas Messer, who initiated the bold expansion of Frank Lloyd Wright's original museum building, and current director Thomas Krens, whose controversial tenure has featured such innovations as the Guggenheim's wildly successful first international outpost in Bilbao, Spain, and exhibits devoted to fashion and motorcycles.
The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (daily in July and August). Admission is free November 1 through May 31. Admission June 1 through October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and younger, members, and students with valid ID. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit www.clarkart.edu
