Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-29
A Beneficial Eiennial.

ts2nGi O. S.G.Cn O. Claims tn.-t WASH
ingtcn, like foreign capital cities, is the
art center of the United States is pos.
sible. III some ways it already may be,
but In others it is decidedly not yet.
The claim that Washington one day will
be that center as 1t is already the GEN.
ter of SO many aspects of our national
life, and that it is steadily and surely
progressing to that point. is open to no
dispute at all. 1t may take decades, but
It will without doubt attain that goal.
Ranking high among the factors con-
tributing to that end, along with its
governmental art treasures, are its art
galleries. public and private, existing or
contemplated. and the art exhibitions
held from time to time by these insti-
tutors, Notable among the latter are
the Biennial Exhibitions OF Contemporary
American Oil Paintings held by the
Corcoran Gallery of Art, the eleventh
OF which has just opened and will re-
main on view until early December
After all, art is "a business" when
the term is construed in its best and
highest sense. The commercialization of
art is deplored by many; on the other
hand, art has and always must have its
distinctly commercial aspects. Here and
there may be found artists of independ-
ent means so ample that they can disre-
garo market for their creations. But
in most cases painters must sell pictures
in order that they may live and may
paint more and better ones. In this
virtuous circle which includes producer,
consumer and what, for want of a
better term, may be styled middle
man." the institution founded by the
late w. W. Corcoran has for more than
score of years taken an important
position pertaining, in some degree, to
all three categories. BY reason of its
ever more ample, ever more compre-
hensive and excellent biennial displays
attended not only by thousands of
WaShingtonians but by many visitors
from all parts of the Nation, the art
TOfAiS oAAA POVCAIidAy dAI~PuAC1laSltlS
public is brought face to face with the
best in all modern schools and trends
of pictorial art
The purchasing public of New York,
for example, may be almost infinitely
larger and infinitely more wealthy.
Nevertheless a community composed SO
largely of homes, meaning houses in
contradiStinction to apartments and
hotel quarters, furnishes and will con-
tinue to furnish an important market
for wares of artistic merit. Many a
fine painting in previous biennials has
remained here, to become incorporated
in the permanent collection of the Cor
coran Gallery and thereby to furnish
inspiration and guidance to him who
wishes artistically to adorn a comn.odi-
Gus home. Many fine one has gone
directly from such an exhibit to such
home.
These displays are regarded as out
standing events in the world of art. and
not without justice. They offer an
unsurpassed opportunity to inspect, to
enjoy and to learn, with consequent
direct benefit j to all concerned. The
public of the Capital and of the Nation
whose focus it is, and the painting pro-
tession. should be and are correspond
lngly grateful to the Corcoran Gallery
and to the late Senator william A.
Clark and Mrs. Clark, his widow.
through whose generosity these exhibi-
lions are so excellently organized and
adequately displayed. The gifts of these
two patrons Of art make possible the
bestowal Of the valuable Clark prizes:
take care of all expenses incidental to
the assemblage and display of the
exhibits, and further furnish the funds
for the purchase for the gallery's
permanent collection of works of out
standing merit by Americans. The
current exhibition has been proclaimed
by those qualified to judge as excellent.
comprehensive and colorful May it
prove forerunner of even better things
to come!