Evening star., 1941-03-10
Jury Of Five Artists
Begins Selecting Oils
For Corcoran Show
1900 Paintings Submitted
As Entries for BiennioI
Exhibit and Clark Awards

Five artists of national promi-
nence today began consideration of
approximately 1,500 paintings sub
mitted to the Corcoran Gallery of
Art as entries for its Seventeenth BIZ
ennial Exhibition of Contemporary
American Oil Paintings and for the
w. A. Clark prize awards
The jury will spend several days
deciding which works will hang in
the exhibition and which will re-
ceive the additional honor of being
selected for the substantial cash
awards.
The show is to be opened with a
private presentation the night of
March %, and the public is to be
admitted from March % through
May 4.
Franklin c. Watkins of Philadel-
phia, who won first prize in 1889
with Summer Fragrance, still
life of flowers, is chairman of the
judging panel. Other members are
Alexander R. James of Dublin, N. H,
a former instructor in the Corcoran
School of Art; Russell CoWleS Of
New York City, from whose efforts
the Corcoran Gallery composed a
one-man exhibition several years
ago; Francis Chaplin of Chicago, an
instructor in the school of the Art
Institute of Chicago, and Guy Pene
du Bois, teacher, critic and author
of an autobiography, Artists Say
the Silliest Things"
Balanced Jury.
AS usual, the jury has been chosen
with a view to providing group
balanced both as to representation
of various sections of the country
and of different schools of painting.
Thus, every entry is assured of
Judging on its merit in its classical
ton and is protected from discard
merely because a jury, as a group,
dislikes the type of work of which
it is an example, c. Powell Mimi
gerode, director of the gallery, ex-
plains.
Mr.. Minnigerode is an ex-off1cio
member of the jury.
The five artists are charged with
the responsibility of assembling a
group of works presenting a cross
section of American art today and
are not limited as to the number
of paintings they may choose. The
''biennials" have consisted of selec-
tions totaling up to 485 in the past.
Included among paintings to be
examined by the jury are number
by artists invited by the gallery to
submit entries, but officials empha-
size these items have no preferred
status when they come before the
men who make the decisions.
The Prizes to Be Given.
After the task of deciding on the
oils to be hung is completed the
jury will make the Clark awards,
made possible through trust fund
established by the late Senator w.
A. Clark. They are as follows: First
prize, $4,000 and the CorCoran Gold
Medal; second prize, 81 500 and the
Corcoran Silver Medal; third prize,
$1,000 and the Corcoran Bronze
Medal, and fourth prize, $500 and
the Corcoran Honorable Mention
Certificate
The gallery reserves an option TO
purchase any prize winner up to
one week after opening of the ex-
hibition.
Entries are confined to original
oil paintings, including tempera, by
living American artists which have
not been shown publicly in Wash
ington.
From the 16 previous exhibitions
361 paintings, having an aggregate
sale value of more than s500,000,
were purchased.
Those visiting the show during the
week beginning April 81 will be given
the opportunity to vote for their
favorite picture and the popular
prize of 5000 will be given the artist
whose work receives the most ballots.