Exhibitions

ON VIEW

Come be inspired by the Corcoran Gallery of Art's expansive collection, dynamic exhibitions, and innovative programs and events.

Greetings from the Corcoran
This summer, the Corcoran presents get-away-from-it-all exhibitions and programs that add up to the perfect staycation. Wish you were here!

Selections from the Collection of Historic American Art

The historic American collection spans the history of American art from colonial times through 1980. These holdings include remarkable paintings by such distinguished artists as John Singleton Copley, Frederic Church, Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, George Bellows, and Edward Hopper, which were purchased as the finest examples of contemporary art of their time. The historic American collection has been further strengthened by other significant acquisitions; for example, in 1996 Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr. donated 34 works by African-American artists, including Aaron Douglas' masterpiece Into Bondage (1936).

American Bronzes from the Corcoran Gallery of Art

This installation of more than 30 bronze sculptures from the Corcoran’s world-renowned collection of American art highlights works dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries by such masters of the medium as Elie Nadelman, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Alexander Phimister Proctor (sculptor of Washington’s Buffalo Bridge).

Ideal Busts

Installed in the Atrium are six ideal busts, four of which belonged to Washington, D.C., banker and philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran (1798–1888), founder of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, whose portrait bust by William H. Rinehart appears nearby.

Modern and Contemporary Art Since 1945

The new permanent collection installation highlights the strengths of the modern and contemporary art holdings. These galleries provide a sense of the breadth of practice and the range of ideas that animate postwar and contemporary art. Major works are presented by Lee Bontecou, William Christenberry, Robert Colescott, Rob Fischer, Ellsworth Kelly, Martin Puryear, Sean Scully, Jessica Stockholder, Anne Truitt, Andy Warhol, and others.