Evening star., 1918-11-10

The Corcoran Gallery of Art will
resume today it's Sunday afternoon
openings, which were suspended
month ago on account of the infiu-
enza epidemic. The doors will be
open at half-past 1 and for three
hours the gallery and it's collections
will be thrown open. without charge,
to the public. On week days the
gallery closes at 4:30; therefore these
Sunday openings are the only oppor-
tunity at present offered war work
ers in Washington to see the notable
collections.
The gallery was designed by Ernest
Flagg, architect, and was erected in
1897, in accordance with the VIII OF
the late w. w. Corcoran. Prior to the
erection of this building the Corcoran
Gallery occupied the brick structure
on the corner of Pennsylvania avenue
and 17th street. now occupied by the
Court of Claims.
Mr.. Corcoran. to whose beneficence
this fine institution witnesses. was an
old Washingtonian, and his private
residence was Corcoran house, on La
fayette Square, facing the White
House, which is still owned and oc-
cupied by his descendants.
The nucleus of the Corcoran Gallery
collection was selected by Mr. Cor
coran himself, who was a real lover
of art and one of the first patrons of.
American art in this country. Dur
ing Mr. Corcoran's lifetime the col
lection was greatly increased, and
since his death it has steadily been
added to by discreet and well chosen
purchases, until now the gallery's col
lection of American art is one OF the
finest, if not the finest, in existence.
1t has always been the policy OF this
gallery to purchase the works of liv-
ing artists. and thus while building
its own collection lend encourage
ment and support to cotemporary art.
For several years the gsllery has
held biennially a large exhibition OF
the works of cotemporary painters.
at which generous prizes have been
given and numerous purchases MADE
According to custom, one of these eN-
hibitions was to be held this year,
opening in December. but, owing to
the congestion in traffic and prior
claim of war necessities upon trans
portation facilities. it has been post
poned. probably until the following
December.
Meanwhile, however, a series of less
important and no less interesting
smaller exhibitions will be held. such
as the exhibition of paintings by Ap-
bot Thayer and his son, now on view.
Included in the Corcoran Gallery's
permanent COllcClioll VIC PiSeo' ~
the earlier American painters-Gil-
bert Stuart, Benjamin West, Peaie.
Allston and others; landscapes by the
painters of the so-called HUDSON
river school: figure paintings, land
scapes. genre paintings by the 1ore
most painters both of the latter hai1
of the nineteenth century and of Eae
present time. 1t is a representative
showing and the works chosen 1or
Display have in almost every instance
enormous pleasurable quality.
Rut the Corcoran Gallery has not re-
stricted itself to works by American
PAINTERS. Included in it's collection is
famous Corot The Wood Gath
erers"; a representative work by JOSEF
Israels. the modern Dutch painter;
Detaille-"The Passing regimen "a
famous military picture painted our
| ing one of Frances earlier wars.
! Cotemporary sculptors are like
wise represented by characteristic ex-
amples in this gallery's collection, but
| less notably than the painters.
It is quite customary to hear public
4, monuments in Washington spoken OF
in terms of derision, and while some, 1t
| must be admitted, are not great works
! of art. all should not be condemned.
In fact. it is doubtful. If comparisons
| were to be made, whether the average
| merit would not be found as high IN
| outdoor sculpture IN TINS CITY as IN
| any city not only in America but In
! Europe.
| The Thomas statue in Thomas Cir
Gle, by J. Q. A. Ward, is generally ad-
| mitted to be one of the best eQues-
| trian statues in the world; the CAL
! laudet group at Kendall Green is one
of the best works by Daniel Chester
French, today one of Americas fore
| most sculptors; the Hahnemann
statue, adjacent to Scott Circle. by
| Charles H. Niehaus, is admirable. and
! the same sculptor's statue of John Paul
! Jones at the loot of 18th street, on the
speedway, has distinguished merit. The
| pedestal and setting TOR this statue was
designed by Thomas Hastings.
! Much has been said in jest of the
Jackson statue in Lafayette Square. but
| when the question OF it's removal was
! lately referred to the Commission OF
| Fine Arts, the decision vas adverse, its
decorative qualities and historic asso-
citation being thought to counterbalance
| it's shortcomings as a work of art. This