The Clowes Collection

The Clowes Collection has been on exhibit for nearly half a century in the Clowes Pavilion at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) at Newfields. In 2022, the Fund and its partners celebrated a major renovation and reinstallation of the Clowes Pavilion. The Pavilion features a state-of-the-art LED ceiling that evokes an outdoor space in the heart of the museum and a curatorial approach that offers fresh perspective on significant social and art historical themes, and is interspersed with innovative and engaging teaching elements.

Along with the Pavilion renovation, Newfields unveiled an impressive digital catalogue: MASTERPIECES from the CLOWES COLLECTION: Paintings. This is the first updated catalogue since Ian Fraser's 1973 A Catalogue of the Clowes Collection. It is extensively illustrated and includes in-depth entries on each major work, many authored by former Clowes Curatorial Fellows, along with full conservation reports.

The IMA's acclaimed collection of European painting and sculpture comprises more than 500 works from the 12th through the 18th century, ranging in style from the Romanesque to the Rococo. Nearly one-fifth of these works constitute the Clowes Collection, recognized for its concentration of masterworks of the Italian, Spanish, Netherlandish and German schools. Notable pieces within the Collection include Self-Portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn, Triumphant Entry of Constantine into Rome by Peter Paul Rubens and The Flight into Egypt by Claude Lorrain.

Dr. George H.A. Clowes and Edith Whitehill Clowes developed the Collection through purchases dating back to the 1930s; it further developed in later years with the assistance of their two sons, most notably Allen Clowes. For decades, these paintings and objects graced their home, Westerley, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Following Dr. Clowes's death in 1958, the Collection became property of The Clowes Fund and was first exhibited to the public at the John Herron Art Museum in 1959. Public viewings at Westerley followed until April 1972, when the Clowes Pavilion at the IMA was dedicated in memory of Edith Whitehill Clowes. 

The image above left shows El Greccos (St. Matthew, St. Simon, St, Luke) on the back wall in Westerley, the Clowes family historic home; the center image shows the Clowes family on opening night of Clowes Memorial Hall on the settee in front of the El Greccos; the image above right shows the same El Greccos in an installation view of the Clowes Pavilion at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 2022; image courtesy of Newfields.

The late Alec Clowes, long-time president of The Clowes Fund, recalling his active involvement in the creation and design of the Clowes Pavilion, once said, "With a goal to recreate the original setting of the pictures at Westerley, we spent time replicating the study and drawing room—the two main rooms where art was displayed." He had a special affinity for the Clowes Pavilion because it was his first and most memorable experience as a Clowes Fund director. Alec had said the Fund "made sure to spend the time, money and effort necessary to create an interior to house the Collection rather than distribute art pieces around the museum."

The Clowes Fund board of directors transferred ownership of the entire Collection to the IMA over a period of 23 years. The approximate value of pieces transferred to the IMA is nearly $55 million. In addition to the Collection, the Fund has awarded more than $8.5 million for construction and maintenance of the Clowes Pavilion (image to left), and an endowment to establish the Allen Whitehill Clowes Curatorial Fellowship. In 2016, The Clowes Fund and the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation joined forces to meet the IMA's needs in terms of care and maintenance of "all things Clowes" at the museum. The two foundations co-chair the Clowes Collection Committee, which is a platform for information sharing and collaboration with Newfields.

The Allen Whitehill Clowes Curatorial Fellowship

The Allen Whitehill Clowes Fellowship supports the scholarship and professional development of outstanding junior scholars who wish to pursue curatorial careers in art museums. Since 1999, Clowes Fellows have conducted scholarly research related to the Collection and gained curatorial training in the field of European painting and sculpture.

Newfields and The Indianapolis Museum of Art

Newfields: A Place for Nature and the Arts offers dynamic experiences for guests of all ages. The 152-acre cultural campus features art galleries, lush gardens, a historic mansion, performance spaces, a nature preserve and sculpture park. From inspiring exhibitions in the Indianapolis Museum of Art Galleries, to concerts in The Toby, and a stroll through The Garden with a glass of cheer, guests are invited to interact with art and nature in exciting new ways. Newfields is home to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, among the ten largest and oldest general art museums in the nation; the Lilly House, a National Historic Landmark; The Garden, featuring 30 acres of contemporary and historic gardens, a working greenhouse and an orchard; and The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, one of the largest art and nature parks in the country. The Newfields campus extends outside of Indianapolis with Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Indiana—one of the nation’s most highly regarded examples of mid-century Modernist architecture. For more information, visit www.discovernewfields.org.

In loving memory

In December 2022, longtime Clowes Collection Curator and close family friend A. Ian Fraser passed away at age 93.

Ian’s special relationship to the Fund’s founders is described by Alexander W. Clowes in his book, The Doc and the Duchess, The Life and Legacy of George H.A. Clowes: “In his final years, Allen [Whitehill Clowes] lived alone and became a recluse, although for a time he was looked after by Ian Fraser and his partner, Ambrose Smith … Edith [Whitehill Clowes] had formed a close friendship with Ian and Ambrose shortly after her husband’s death in 1958, and on her own deathbed she had extracted a promise from them to look after Allen. In addition, Ian, trained as an artist and a curator of art, was to look after the art collection assembled by George, Edith and Allen and maintain it at Westerley, where Allen would continue to live for the rest of his life.”