Clifford, Henry

Person

Staff Only

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 2 Collections and/or Records:

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

Found in: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Library and Archives / Henry Clifford Papers

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

Found in: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Library and Archives / Painting and Sculpture Department Records

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