Evening star., 1932-12-04
CORCORAN BIENNIAL
WILL OPEN TODAY
Many NOtabIes Are Present
at Private View of 18th
Display Yesterday.

A colorful cross-section Of American
art in its present-day trends was re-
vealed last night to distinguished
group of invited guests at a private
view of the Thirteenth Biennial Exhi-
bition of Contemporary American Oil
Paintings of the Corcoran Gallery of
Art, which opens to the public this
afternoon at o'clock to continue
through January Is next.
The opening night throng, compris-
ing noted artists, critics, patrols and
other notables of the art world, as well
as a representative gathering of leaders
in official and private social life of the
Capital, was treated to an inaugural
showing of the four prize winning pic
lures selected for the Biennial w. A.
Clark awards and BAL other paintings
by total of 28l artists.
Interest of the guests focused on the
prize winners, foremost in the limelight
of which was George Luk's impressive
study of e Woman with Black Cat"
winner of the first Clark prize of $4,000
and the Corcoran gold medal. Sharing
interest with this work were the other
prize pictures, John r. Grabach's
Spring Planting" which won the sec
ond Clark prize of $1,000 and the Cor
coran silver medal David Silvette's
Thornton Nye of Wytheville," winner
of third Clark prize of 81 900 and the
Corcoran bronze medal; and N. C.
Wyeth's I'm a Dream, I Meet Gen.
Washington, winner of fourth Clark
prize of $500 and the Corcoran honor
able mention certificate.
A Brilliant Spectacle.
Always an outstanding social as well
as art event, the Biennial proved a
brilliant spectacle, with a constant
stream of spectators in evening dress
passing up and down the broad marble
staircase and winding in and out of
the various exhibition rooms. A large
string orchestra played during the eve
ming. Palms and other greens lined
the staircase and garlands of ever
green's hung from pillar to pillar
A novel feature of the exhibition this
year was correlated showing in ad-
joining halls of a group of paintings
from the gallerys permanent collec-
ton of American art, including works
by artists who have won the Clark
awards in past years.
In pointing out the opportunity thus
afforded for study and comparison of
present and past works the gallery, in
its catalogue of the exhibition, states:
During the course of these biennial
exhibitions, beginning with the first
one held over 25 years ago, the prize
awards, made by jurleS and profes-
sional artists, have, at times, been mis-
understood by large proportion Of the
lay public. The diversity of opinion is,
of course, easily understood. 1t is due
to the fact that the paintings are
judged from entirely different stand
points. Who can say but that both
sides are correct from their respective
points of view?e
1T is, however. significant and inter-
esting to note that ones opinions are
constantly undergoing change. They
are not fixed. The passage OF few
years enhances ones appreciation OF
any object which possesses inherent
merit, and the pictures in this group,
produced by artists who have received
the w. A. Clark prize awards and whose
work may have been misunderstood and
subjected to adverse criticism at the
time the awards were made, now stand
out by almost unanimous agreement as
among the finest things in the Ameri-
can section of the permanent collec-
ton"
Trustees Join Reception.
Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery
ioined with C. Powell Minnigerode,
Secretary and director Of the gallery, in
the informal reception of the guests
and in directing them through the ex-
hibition halls.
The trustees included in the hand
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