Exhibitions

ON VIEW

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

Crossing the Line: 2012 Alumni Exhibition

April 14, 2012–May 20, 2012


This exhibition showcases work by 27 Corcoran College of Art + Design alumni from across five decades. Displayed alongside NEXT at the Corcoran: Class of 2012—a presentation of work by students graduating from the College—Crossing the Line is a juried exhibition seeking to break perceived divisions, whether they are cultural, physical, social, material, or artistic. Guest curator Barbara O’Brien of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, MO, selected the alumni.

NEXT at the Corcoran: Class of 2012

April 14, 2012–May 20, 2012

The Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design presents NEXT at the Corcoran: Class of 2012, a dynamic, interactive, and innovative presentation of work by the graduating students of the Corcoran College of Art + Design. NEXT, for the first time, includes both an exhibition of the thesis work of the Bachelor of Fine Arts class of 2012 and a showcase of the Masters of Arts degree programs at the Corcoran.

Tim Hetherington: Sleeping Soldiers

February 4, 2012–May 20, 2012

Between 2007 and 2008, photographer Tim Hetherington (1970–2011) was embedded with U.S. Army soldiers in a remote and dangerous post in northeastern Afghanistan. This exhibition includes photographs as well as the three-screen video installation Sleeping Soldiers (2010), which juxtaposes chaotic scenes of combat with still images of soldiers at rest.

Shadows of History: Photographs of the Civil War from the Collection of Julia J. Norrell

February 4, 2012–May 20, 2012

The American Civil War was one of the first conflicts to be extensively documented by photography.  The public had never before seen such powerful images of human devastation and the destructive impact of war. Inspired by the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Corcoran presents this focused collection developed in recent years by Washington collector Julia ("Judy") Norrell.

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.



MA in Art Education Exhibition

May 16, 2012–May 20, 2012

Opening Reception: May 17, 2012

This exhibition highlights the works of three artist educators.  Kelsey Livingston examines the sculptural quality of paper through large origami spheres. Kelli Duvall Smith presents a series of scenes from her hometown, Detroit, in a variety of mediums: painting, printmaking, and photography. Terry Thomas combines her thesis research on bullying with her studio work, presenting a series of prints and mixed media pieces from the perspective of the victim, the bully, and the bystander.