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 70 Collections and/or Records:
Correspondence from Henri Marceau to Henry Clifford, 1950 July 31
Correspondence from Henri Marceau, Associate Director for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings.
Correspondence from Henri Marceau to Marcel Duchamp, 1961 April 19
Correspondence from Henri Marceau, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Marcel Duchamp.
Correspondence from Henry Clifford to J. B. Neumann, 1954 October 20
Correspondence from Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to J. B. Neumann.
Correspondence from Henry Clifford to Katherine Schamberg, 1954 December 10
Correspondence from Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Katherine Schamberg.
Correspondence from Henry Clifford to Marcel and Alexina Duchamp, 1954 December 17
Correspondence from Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Marcel and Alexina Duchamp.
Correspondence from Henry Clifford to Morton G. Schamberg, 1954 November 1
Correspondence from Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Morton G. Schamberg.
Correspondence from Henry Clifford to Walter and Louise Arensberg, 1946 April 3
Correspondence from Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Walter and Louise Arensberg.
Correspondence from Henry Clifford to Walter and Louise Arensberg, 1948 January 6
Correspondence from Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Walter and Louise Arensberg.
Correspondence from Henry Clifford to Walter Arensberg, 1944 September 19
Correspondence from Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Walter Arensberg.
Correspondence from Henry Clifford to Walter Arensberg, 1948 January 25
Correspondence from Henry Clifford, Curator of Paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to Walter Arensberg.
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