Clifford, Henry
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 68 Collections and/or Records:
Arensberg Collection to Open October 16 in Philadelphia, 1954
Arensberg Collection to Open October 16 in Philadelphia. Press release from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Arensberg Collection to Open October 16 in Philadelphia, 1954
Arensberg Collection to Open October 16 in Philadelphia. Press release from the Philadelphia Museum of Art [draft].
Arensberg Collection to Open October 16 in Philadelphia, 1954 March 10
Arensberg Collection to Open October 16 in Philadelphia. Press release from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Arensbergs' Art Given to Museum, 1951 January 18
"Arensbergs' Art Given to Museum." Clipping from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Clifford, Henry, 1934-1947, undated
Clifford, Henry, 1948-1951
Clifford, Henry, 1953-1955
Clifford, Henry, and Esther, 1946-1964, undated
Compilation of correspondence from Marcel Duchamp to Barnet Hodes, 1956, 1968, 1983
Compilation of correspondence from Marcel Duchamp to Barnet Hodes [copies] from the Art Institute of Chicago. Includes correspondence from Esther Sparks, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, to Ann Percy, Curator of Drawings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Correspondence from Alexina and Marcel Duchamp to Henry Clifford, 1955 February 17
Correspondence from Alexina and Marcel Duchamp to Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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