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Clifford, Henry

 Person

Biography

Henry Clifford was born in 1904 in Newcastle, Maine and studied in private schools in the United States and later in Harrow, England. He was married to Esther Harrison Rowland Clifford (1905-1983), a noted scholar and philanthropist, who was educated at Vassar and earned her master's degree and a doctorate in medieval history at Bryn Mawr College. They had two sons (Pier and Nicholas) and eight grandchildren. The Cliffords maintained homes in various locations, including: Rock Rose in Radnor, Pennsylvania; Es Tassoneyres at Mont Pelerin-sur-Vevey, Switzerland; Villa Capponi in Florence, Italy; and a villa at Jonacatapec, Mexico. These locations reflected the Cliffords' scholarly interests, which included Mexican art and European medieval history, as well as "all things modern." Henry Clifford is recognized as one of the Museum's most distinguished curators. He worked in various capacities over time, starting as the Assistant Curator of Paintings in 1932. In 1936, Clifford was promoted to Associate Curator of Paintings; by 1942, he served as full curator. Clifford retired in 1964, so his involvement with the Museum lasted for a total of 32 years. Clifford curated several outstanding exhibitions for the Museum, including: Mexican Art Today (1943); Matisse (1948); Toulouse-Lautrec (1955); Gustave Courbet (1959/60), and A World of Flowers (1963). In collaboration with other museums, Clifford presented Paintings and Drawings by Vincent Van Gogh (1954), Picasso 75th Anniversary Exhibition (1958), and Thomas Eakins: A Retrospective Exhibition (1962). Mr. and Mrs. Clifford's own collection of modern paintings was regularly featured in the Museum's "summer loan exhibitions" in the 1950s and 1960s, and they generously donated several works of art to the institution. At the time of Mr. Clifford's retirement in 1964, former Director Evan Turner said: "Mr. Clifford's connoisseurship and knowledge have unquestionably contributed to the significance of the exhibitions and acquisitions of the Museum during his tenure in office. His example has as well stimulated the considerable growth and quality of private collections in our city." Mr. Clifford passed away in 1974.

Found in 70 Collections and/or Records:

Draft correspondence from Fiske Kimball to George Kubler, 1954 February 5

 Object — Box: 181, Folder: 5
Identifier: FKR_B181_F005_057
Scope and Contents

Draft correspondence from Fiske Kimball, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to George Kubler, Department of the History of Art at Yale University.

Dates: 1954 February 5

Draft correspondence from Fiske Kimball to Henry Clifford, 1954 June 30

 Object — Box: 181, Folder: 5
Identifier: FKR_B181_F005_002
Scope and Contents

Draft correspondence from Fiske Kimball, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Dates: 1954 June 30

Draft correspondence from Fiske Kimball to James Johnson Sweeney, 1954 January 11

 Object — Box: 181, Folder: 5
Identifier: FKR_B181_F005_064
Scope and Contents

Draft correspondence from Fiske Kimball, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to James Johnson Sweeney, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Not sent.

Dates: 1954 January 11

Draft correspondence from Fiske Kimball to Walter and Louise Arensberg, 1949 March 17

 Object — Box: 179, Folder: 30
Identifier: FKR_B179_F030_019
Scope and Contents

Draft correspondence from Fiske Kimball, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Walter and Louise Arensberg.

Dates: 1949 March 17

Draft correspondence from Mary A. Givens to Walter Arensberg, 1949 March 21

 Object — Box: 179, Folder: 30
Identifier: FKR_B179_F030_017
Scope and Contents

Draft correspondence from Mary A. Givens, Assistant to Fiske Kimball, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Walter Arensberg. Includes price list.

Dates: 1949 March 21

Henry Clifford Papers

 Collection
Identifier: HCR
Abstract The collection documents Henry Clifford’s role as Curator of Paintings for the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Letters, documents, and ephemera reveal the purchase of paintings, dinners and charity events with artists and acquaintances, travel to look at collections of art and works by individuals, and correspondence with artists and museum directors. Much of the collection is comprised of Clifford’s personal correspondence, a majority of which discusses the loan and publication of paintings...
Dates: Majority of material found within 1939-1973

L.A. Nude Goes East: Art Collection Sent to Phila. As Gift, 1951 January 20

 Object — Box: 41, Folder: 39
Identifier: WLA_B041_F039_017
Scope and Contents

"L.A. Nude Goes East: Art Collection Sent to Phila. As Gift." Clipping from the Los Angeles Evening Herald & Express.

Dates: 1951 January 20

Memorandum from Henri Marceau to Henry Clifford and Gertrude Toomey, 1960 April 20

 Object — Box: 55, Folder: 6
Identifier: MAR_B055_F006_005
Scope and Contents

Correspondence from Henri Marceau, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Henry Clifford and Gertrude Toomey.

Dates: 1960 April 20

Painting and Sculpture Department Records

 Collection
Identifier: PAI
Abstract

The Painting and Sculpture Department records consist of departmental and exhibition records. It includes correspondence, subject files, lender files, artist and object research files, photographs, draft catalogue writings and other documentation of the Department’s activities.

Dates: 1924-1999

Telegram from Henry Clifford to Fiske Kimball, 1950 December 28

 Object — Box: 180, Folder: 5
Identifier: FKR_B180_F005_009
Scope and Contents

Telegram from Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings, to Fiske Kimball, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Dates: 1950 December 28

Additional filters:

Type
Archival Object 68
Collection 2
 
Subject
correspondence 57
Philadelphia, United States 44
Hollywood, United States 7
New York City, United States 4
press releases 3