WILLIAMSTOWN — The Clark Art Institute, which is internationally renowned for its collection of 19th-century European art, along with its decorative arts, its smattering of ravishing Old Masters, and its exquisite 140-acre campus, has been transformed under the leadership of Michael Conforti. Earlier this year, Conforti, who joined the intimate museum as director in 1994. announced that he would retire on Aug. 31. ….

Q. Did you intend a transformation of this kind from the moment you took over at the Clark?

A. I knew that one day we were going to need more space. I didn’t know exactly what we would be building, but I didn’t want to build without a master plan. We went through a couple of failed master plans, and then [architecture firm] Cooper Robertson came in and we began thinking about the whole campus. It was a plan, which we still have, and one that we can work with, for the next 50 years or more.

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