Timothy Clark: UC Berkeley art historian gets $1.5 million award

A Univesity of California, Berkeley, art history professor has received a distinguished achievement award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that provides up to $1.5 million so he can further his scholarly pursuits.

Timothy Clark, a leading authority on modern art, is one of four humanities scholars chosen for the award. Besides his scholarly work, which includes criticism and research on Gustave Courbet, Edouard Manet and Pablo Picasso, Clark was singled out as an outstanding teacher and mentor.

Clark will use the award to continue his research into the life of 17th century French painter Nicolas Poussin, but also to pursue his interest in the art of Picasso, according to the university.

Picasso "still looms uncomfortably over the visual culture of the past century in ways we have barely begun to account for," Clark said in a statement.

He said the award also will help him bring scholars to campus to teach courses in art history and fund a two-year postdoctoral fellowship.