Olga Hirshhorn Collects
Selections from the Permanent Collection

February 10, 2007–July 8, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On February 10, the Corcoran Gallery of Art will open Olga Hirshhorn Collects: Selections from the Permanent Collection, an exhibition of highlights from the extensive collection of Washingtonian Olga Hirshhorn, who has made many generous gifts of art to the Corcoran over the past decade.

Olga Hirshhorn Collects, on view through July 8, 2007, showcases works by 20th-century American and European artists, including Niki de Saint Phalle, Sam Francis, Morris Graves, Edward Hopper, Joan Mitchell, Alex Katz, and Ed Ruscha. The exhibition also features artists whose work Hirshhorn has collected in-depth, such as Anni and Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning, Larry Rivers and Bob Thompson.

“Mrs. Hirshhorn is a passionate collector with an extraordinary breadth of interest—from Cypriot and pre-Columbian antiquities to prints and drawings by contemporary masters, she has amassed a treasure trove of primarily small and domestic-scale objects that demonstrate her searching, critical eye and sensitivity to a wide range of forms and styles,” said Corcoran Director and President Paul Greenhalgh.

Olga Hirshorn actively acquired works as a frequent visitor to galleries and artists’ studios in the 1960s and 1970s with her late husband, Joseph H. Hirshhorn, the financier, philanthropist, and founding donor of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. As a result, the Hirshhorns developed relationships with some of the 20th century’s most important artistic figures.

“This collection represents a lot of friendships that we established early on, but it also teaches us about how artists think, how they work. I’ve learned a lot from living with these objects. I’m so pleased that others will now have a chance to enjoy them as we did,” Olga Hirshhorn said.

Olga Hirshhorn Collects: Selections from the Permanent Collection is organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art and supported by The President’s Exhibition Fund.

HOURS
From February 10 to March 16, the Corcoran will be open on weekends only, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free admission for guests. Beginning on March 17, the hours of operation will be as follows: Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Tuesday. For more information call (202) 639-1700.

ABOUT THE CORCORAN
The Corcoran Gallery of Art, a privately funded institution, was founded in 1869 as Washington’s first and largest non-federal museum of art. It is known internationally for its distinguished collection of historical and modern American art as well as contemporary art, photography, European painting, sculpture and the decorative arts. Founded in 1890, the Corcoran College of Art + Design is Washington’s only four-year college of art and design offering BFA degrees in Photojournalism, Digital Media Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design and Photography; AFA degrees in Digital Media Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design and Photography; a five-year Bachelor of Fine Arts/Master of Arts in Teaching (BFA/MAT); and a two-year Master of Arts (MA) in Interior Design or History of Decorative Arts. The College’s Continuing Education program offers part-time credit and non-credit classes for children and adults and draws more than 2,500 participants each year.

:: View images and further details from this exhibition

CONTACT:
Kristin Guiter
Manager of Media Relations
(202) 639-1867,
kguiter@corcoran.org

Media Resources:

Advance Exhibition Schedule

Archived Press Releases