Evening star., 1941-10-12
Corcorun Gallery
of Art
BIZ Frederic J. HdSkin.

| and museums in Washington, the Cor
| coran Gallery of Art is the most widely
| known. This is not a comparison, for
each institution was founded and is
maintained for a specific purpose. Each
| is doing its share in making the Nations
| Capital the great city it is, and each
is contributing to the making of better
| informed and better cultured citizenrv
| IN Washington and elsewhere.
The Corcoran Gallery Of Art is great
institution mainly because it hsd a great
founder, William Wilson Corcoran, an
| early pioneer in the city's business cir
cles. The index of the life of the founder
| is found in an obscure note in his biog-
raphy. Mr.. Corcoran failed in one of his
| first business ventures, and in later years
| when fortune came his way, his first act
was to disburse $4,000 for the discharge
| Of old debts paying all in full with inter-
est although legal compromise had
| been made two decades earlier.
So, this well-known gallery of art
which stands within few hundred yards
/ of the White House on property valued
| at millions of dollars, and possessing COL
| buildings and grounds, was fathered by
a man with an ideal and a purpose. 1t
| has been the diligent and constant pur-
| suit of these that has made the COrcOran
| Gallery of Art one of the great show
| places of the world, and its influence so
widespread.
| Officially, the Corcoran Gallery of Art
as public institution was founded May
10, 1862 when Mr. Corcoran decided the
original building, its contents and the
ground to a board of trustees to be
administered for public benefit. Later
he provided an endowment fund Of $780,.
| 900 for maintenance
The original building, magnificent in
its day and now used by the United
States Court of Claims, stands st the
northeast corner of Seventeenth street
and Pennsylvania avenue, stones throw
from the gates of the White House. The
new building. which was formally opened
February %, 1897, occupies the major
part of triangle at Seventeenth street
and New York avenue, about two blocks
south of the original building.
An unusual story of the Corcoran Gal
lery of Art is that Of the Duveneck por-
trait which was executed when the artist
was an impoverished student in Munich.
He had borrowed $40 from an American
named Clark. Not having the money 10
pay the debt, he offered to paint Clarks
portrait. Years afterward when Duve-
neck had become famous and Clark was
an old man living in Soldiers Home. he
came to the Corcoran Gallery Of Art and
offered to sell his portrait for $4,000. The
offer was met and with the money he
purchased farm in Oklahoma on which
oil was discovered, making him a mil
lionaire.
Another story concerns one OF the last
portraits painted by Sargent which is in
the gallery. He had come to this country
shortly after World War I, having been
I commissioned to paint portrait of Pres
ident Wilson. On the voyage to America
| he was requested by the younger Mr
Rockefeller to make a picture Of his
father and agreed to do so. In Boston
at an art shop where he had dealings,
Sargent met workman named Dan No
Ian, who became his friend He remarked
one day that he would make drawing
of him. Whereupon Nolan said he would
prefer painting Later when a wealthy
Bostonian called at the art shop to ar
range TO have his portrait made, he
was told by Nolan, 'Mr Sargent is
painting only President Wilson, Mr..
Rockefeller and myself" After Nolans
death his widow sold the portrait to the
|
thousands
The collection of American paintings
begins with the early portrait painters
of the latter 18th and early 10Th CEN
turies. Works of such recognized artists
as Copley. Stuart. Malbone. Neagle, TIE
Sullys and others are included Samuel
F. B. Morse's ambitious canvas depicting
the House of Representatives in 1922 is
an important document in early Ameri-
can painting.
From that period to the present the
works OF great American painters have
been exhibited in the institutions marble
halls and specially lighted rooms. They
form panorama of life in the United
States as seen through the eyes Of Its
great artists
The most valuable addition to the
Corcoran Gallery since its founding was
the beQuest in 1925 of the valuable art
collection Of the late William A, Clark
once United States Senator from Mon
tana. The collection includes paintings.
sculpture, tapestries, rugs. laces and a
host OF other treasures, the listings of
which require a complete catalogue. In
the collection Of rugs are some of the
Oldest in the world, also the largest and
most valuable
Mr.. Clark was trustee of the gallery
for II years, during which time he gave
literally to encourage and promote vari-
Gus activities of the institution His
widow has perpetuated his generosity,
her largest gift being 100000 to provide
prize awards and exhibitions and to
duplicate like amount donated by her
husband for the same purpose.
To carry out its policy of encouraging
American artists, the gallery maintains
an art school with an annual enrolment
Of more than 45O pupils. This school was
founded in 1887 as development of one
of Mr.. Corcoran's basic ideals. No tut
ton is charged and the entrance fee is
small. All phases of art are taught by
an experienced faculty selected on the
| basis of achievement
| The institution is supported by its
original endowment, door receipts which
| are nol1aptod IN odpoiscinpe IL. {y1