Evening star., 1926-04-04
CORCORAN OFFERS
TENTH EXHIBITION
Biennial Display of American
Oil Paintings Opens This
Afternoon.

With prospects of pleasant wealth :
er and longer days ahead, to take
full advantage of which the institu-
ton will extend its hours for visitors.
the CorcOran Gallery of Art last
night formally opened its tenth
biennial exhibition of contemporary
American oil paintings.
The Inauguration of this import.
ant display. as in years past. took
the form of a private view TO which
about 1900 invitations had been sent
out. The list of guests included
representatives of official. diplomatic
and residential society. art lovers in
general, artists. art critics and off,
cials of art institutions.
The broad stairway and spacious
atrium and salons of the gallery
were made colorful with laurel rop-
ing and potted palms, while a
stringed orchestra played throughout
the evening. AS has been the custom
during recent years, there was no
receiving line. Those in attendance
Immediately proceeded to inspect the
353 pictures by 257 artists which
compose the exhibition. and at the
same time to give and return greet
ings from old friends. These Cor
coran private openings have always
partaken of the nature of distinctly
social and sociable gatherings and
are as eagerly anticipated by local
society as they are by the world OF
American art.
Open to Public Today.
The exhibition will be open to the
public beginning at ! 80 o'clock this
Sunday, Nav 16. The hour of open
ing on week days is. as heretofore,
o'clock but the closing hour has
been extended to $3.50 o'clock on
every day in the week.
1t has been several months more
than two years since the last
biennial December was formerly the
month for the opening and the dis
plays extended we'll into January.
Corcoran officials never fancied this
season. but found it eXpedient to
stick to it to avoid conflicts with
other stated exhibitions of impor
tance elsewhere The days were short,
the light poor. the social calendar
crowded and the celebra tions of
Christmas came just after the open
ing. The problem. however. has been
happily solved and the change to
Spring made to the benefit of all
concerned.
The Carnegie Institute of Pitts
burgh was accustomed to hold a
Spring exhibition in which were fea-
tured works of art by European
painters. These pictures were col
lected during the Summer and the
artists complained that by the time
they had been shown the following
Spring and returned to them abroad
nearly a whole year had elapsed.
Carnegie Institute officials therefore
advanced the proposal to the local
gallery that they exchange dates.
This was enthusiastically agreed to
and henceforward the Corcoran BIZ
ennials will be held at a time when
Washington is putting on her best
and freshest garb. which. as all the
world knows. is green, trimmed with
cherry blossoms.
Two Exhibitions Now Possible.
The change of date made possible
the offer OF. the Corcoran trustees to
the National Academy of Design for
the latter to inaugurate it's great
retrospective exhibition here last
Autumn. This impressive historical
display is still fresh in the minds
of the art t-loving public, so that the
National Capital counts itself pecul.
iarly fortunate this Winter, not
only in having two displays of such
magnitude and excellence. but also
in the comparison which they afford
The N. A. ID. exhibit showed the
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