The Corcoran Gallery of Art

This elegant art museum, a stone's throw from the White House, is a favorite party site in the city, hosting everything from inaugural balls to wedding receptions.

The first art museum in Washington, the Corcoran Gallery opened in 1874 in the red-brick and brownstone building that now houses the Renwick Gallery. The collection outgrew its quarters and moved in 1897 to its present Beaux Arts building, designed by Ernest Flagg.

The collection, shown in rotating exhibits, focuses chiefly on American art. A prominent Washington banker, William Wilson Corcoran was among the first wealthy American collectors to realize the importance of encouraging and supporting this country's artists. Enhanced by further gifts and bequests, the collection comprehensively spans American art from 18th-century portraiture to works by modern artists since 1945, including Louise Nevelson, Andy Warhol, and Mark Rothko, and Bruce Nauman. Nineteenth-century works include Albert Bierstadt's and Frederick Remington's imagery of the American West; Hudson River School artists; expatriates like J. M. Whistler, John Singer Sargent, and Mary Cassatt; and two giants of the late 19th century, Winslow Homer and Thomas Eakins. The Corcoran is also a committed exhibitor of Washington artists, especially those associated with the renowned "Washington Color School," Gene Davis and Kenneth Noland among them.

The Corcoran is not exclusively an American art museum. On the first floor is the collection from the estate of Senator William Andrews Clark, an eclectic grouping of Dutch and Flemish masters, European painters, French Impressionists, Barbizon landscapes, Delft porcelains, a Louis XVI salon doré (an extravagant room with gilded ornaments and paneling) transported in toto from Paris, and more. Clark's will stated that his diverse collection, which any curator would undoubtedly want to disperse among various museum departments, must be shown as a unit. He left money for a wing to house it, and the new building opened in 1928.

Pick up a schedule of events or check the website for information about temporary exhibits, gallery talks, concerts, art auctions, and more. There is some street parking.

The Corcoran Café is open Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 3pm and Sunday 10am to 1pm; on Thursday the cafe reopens from 5 to 8pm; also inquire about Sunday brunch, which resumes from time to time, depending on the exhibit; call tel. 202/639-1786 for more information. The Corcoran has a nice gift shop.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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