Art Museum

Corcoran Gallery of Art

Washington, D.C., United States

Corcoran Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States. 2 works from its collection are in this catalog, including Rembrandt van Rijn and Sachse Edward.

About Corcoran Gallery of Art

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., at the location where the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University, is now.

Founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran, the gallery was one of the earliest public art museums in the United States. It held an important collection that became concentrated in American art. In 1890, it started its art school. Its Beaux-Arts style building on The Ellipse was opened in 1897. Due to a prolonged economic shortfall, the Gallery failed in October 2014; pursuant to its founding charter, its art school and building transferred to GWU and the 19,456 works in its collection were distributed to other public museums and institutions in Washington, D.C.

Overview

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was a prominent art museum in Washington, D.C., chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1870 and established through the provisions of banker William W. Corcoran. Founded in 1869, it was the city's oldest independent museum and held a significant collection noted for its comprehensive display of American painting from the colonial through the modern period. The institution also housed the Corcoran School of Art, which operated alongside the gallery for over a century.

In 2014, following severe financial difficulties and legal intervention, the museum was dissolved, with its collection transferred to the National Gallery of Art and its building and school program absorbed by George Washington University.

History & Founding

The gallery was founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran, who established it to provide a public art museum in Washington, D.C. It was officially chartered by Congress in 1870. The original building, located at 17th Street and New York Avenue, was designed by James Renwick Jr. and opened to the public in 1874. As the collection grew, the original space became insufficient, leading to the construction of a new, larger building designed by Ernest Flagg, which opened in 1897.

The institution also established the Corcoran School of Art in 1890, which began with 40 students and two faculty members, later evolving into the Corcoran College of Art + Design.

Building & Architecture

The museum's iconic building, completed in 1897, was designed by architect Ernest Flagg in the Beaux-Arts style. The structure featured a grand 170-by-50-foot atrium with forty limestone columns and twin skylights intended for sculpture display. A monumental grand staircase, 16 feet wide, led to the second floor, flanked by six statues on pedestals.

The building also included a unique hemicycle auditorium at the northern end and the Salon Doré, a French room with intricate decorations from the early 1700s. The interior, including the atrium, rotunda, and grand staircase, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, while the exterior had been listed in 1971.

Collection Highlights & Notable Holdings

The Corcoran's collection was renowned for its comprehensive scope of American art, spanning from the colonial era to the modern period. A significant portion of the holdings came from the bequest of Senator William A. Clark in 1926, which was particularly noted for its French and Dutch paintings as well as its decorative arts. The museum also held major works by American Impressionists and other key figures in American art history.

At its peak, the collection included approximately 17,000 pieces, with significant works from the Corcoran, Clark, and Flagg donations forming the core of the display before the institution's dissolution.

Significance & Controversy

The Corcoran played a pivotal role in American cultural life but was also the center of a major controversy in 1989. The museum agreed to host a traveling exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe's work but ultimately cancelled it due to concerns over funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the content of the photographs. This decision led to a boycott by over a dozen artists, a decline in funding and membership, and staff resignations.

The controversy highlighted the tensions between artistic freedom, public funding, and conservative values in the late 20th century, significantly impacting the museum's reputation and financial stability.

Legacy & Current Status

In 2014, after decades of financial mismanagement and a lawsuit brought by the group Save the Corcoran, a federal judge ordered the dissolution of the museum. The court ruling mandated that the Corcoran's $2 billion, 17,000-piece art collection be transferred to the National Gallery of Art. The building and the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design were transferred to George Washington University, which now operates the school and uses the historic building for exhibitions and educational purposes.

The school continues to offer degrees in art and design, carrying forward the educational legacy of the original institution.