Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-05-03
Art t News
Corcoron Honors
Richard Lohey
By Florence S. Berrymcn

opened during the past week
another one-man show in its
contemporary American art
lists series. this one honoring
Richard Francis Lahey to re-
main through the summer.
Composed of nearly so works,
the exhibition is one of the
largest solo shows to be held
at the Corcoran. It is installed
in room 80 on the first floor.
Mr.. Lahey has been princi-
pal of the Corcoran School Of
Art since 1885, and since 1897
also professor of fine arts at
Goucher College, Baltimore.
Despite the demands Of these
positions. he has managed to
paint industriously, and has
exhibited frequently here and
elsewhere. has won coveted
awards, and is one of Wash
ington'S best-knoWn artists.
Born in Jersey City, Mr..
Lahey obtained his art train
ing at the Art Students League
of New York, studying under
Bridgman and Henri. He
travelled extensively in Europe
during the summers from 1920
to 1927, and before he came
to Washington was on the art
faculties of the Minneapolis
Art School and the Art Stu
dents League. In 1921 he mar
ried Carlotta Gonzales, also a
painter and sculptor, who has
been the subject of many of
his paintings, including two
in the present show.
In Many Collections
Mr.. Lahey is represented in
many important permanent
collections, among them the
Metropolitan Museum, Muse
UNI of Modern Art and Whit
ney Museum of American Art,
New York City; the Addison
Gallery of American Art, And
over, Mass; the Baltimore.
Brooklyn and Toledo Museums,
the Detroit Institute of Arts,
the Corcoran Gallery and the
Library of Congress.
Mr.. Lahey is versatile in
choice of subject and tech
nique. This retrospective in
cludes landscape, portraits.
genre and still life. and ranges
from traditional to abstract.
In some paintings he is I'M
inhibited in his use of rich
colors, juxtaposing them bold
ly, as in THE Red Bird" and
1.-THE OWL" In others CLilacs"
for instance) his color schemes
are subtle and restrained. In
cidentally, a number of his
flower and still-life paintings.
among them the high-keyed
Flower With Chalk Horse"
and Peoples With Squeak
Toy" reveal Mr.. and Mrs.
Lahey's interest in early
American toys, of which they
have DISTINGUISHED collec-
ton.
In contrast to the freely
handled, brightly colored
flower and still life, Mr..
Lahey's architectural, urban
and landscape paintings are
executed in a more conserva-
tive style and generally darker
colors. His handsome prize
winning painting, Easter
Morning on Eye Street." is an
outstanding example. as is also
Back Street." with it's leaflesS
tree and miscellaneous rec
tangular buildings and porches
all organized into a cohesive
entity. His happy approach to
nature is we'll represented in
a number Of oils, of which I
particularly like Maine Land
scape," with it's tall trees,
glimpse Of sea and distant
lighthouse.
A Sparkling Example
His water color, Perkins
Cove" obtained for the Cor
coran Gallery with the pur-
chase prize of the National
Society of Arts and Letters
from the gallery's seventh an
nual area show, is a sparkling
example of his animated
harbor scenes.
He also has a knack of cap
turing the topical in a COM
prehensive, swiftly brushed
painting such as that Of Gen
eral Eisenhower's Return"
dated June Is, 1945, and his
water color, Robert Frost
Reading Poetry"
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