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Corcoran Gallery of Art
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Corcoran Gallery of Art | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | 17th St. at New York Ave., NW. Washington, D.C. |
| Architect: | Ernest Flagg |
| Architectural style(s): | Beaux Arts |
| Designated as NHL: | April 27, 1992 |
| Added to NRHP: | May 6, 1971 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 71000997 |
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art.
The permanent collection includes works by Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Andy Warhol, and many others. There are always several exhibitions.
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The Corcoran is the oldest and largest non-federal art museum in the District of Columbia. Founded in 1869 by William Wilson Corcoran, the co-founder of Riggs Bank, it was one of the first fine art galleries in the country.[1] Its mission is to be "dedicated to art and used solely for the purpose of encouraging the American genius."
The original building, a Beaux-Arts structure by architect Ernest Flagg, covers 135,000 square feet (12,500 m²). It was described by Frank Lloyd Wright as the "best designed building in Washington, DC."[citation needed] A proposed addition by Frank O. Gehry would have more than doubled the museum's size, but the plan was scrapped due to funding problems in the summer of 2005.
The museum and its affiliated art and design college Corcoran College of Art and Design together have a staff of about 185 and an operating budget of about $20 million. Revenue comes from various sources, including grants and contributions, admissions fees, tuition, membership dues, gift shop and restaurant sales, and an endowment currently worth around $30 million. In February 2001, two AOL executives (Robert Pittman and Barry Schuler) and their wives donated $30 million to the museum, its largest single donation since its founding.
