Allan Clark enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago where he studied under Albin Polasek, who sparked a love of sculpture in the young student that prompted him to turn away from painting. After serving in the Navy during World War I, Clark received a number of successful exhibitions and important commissions, leading to his admittance into the National Sculpture Society as one of its youngest members in 1919. The following year, he relocated to New York and began studying under Robert Aitken.
In 1924, Clark embarked on a three-year tour of the Far East, visiting and studying the arts in Japan, Korea, China, Cambodia, Thailand, and Burma, among other nations. His stylized modeling reflects the influences of the art and architecture he studied in his travels. Upon his return, the works he produced while traveling were exhibited at Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum, making Clark the first living artist to receive a solo exhibition at the museum. He settled in New Mexico in 1929 and established a studio there, where he would produce Southwestern works and integrate himself into the Santa Fe arts community.
