Legacy

The first book to examine the history, impact, and legacy of the Corcoran following its closure and the start of its ongoing partnership with the National Gallery of Art.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was the first institution in the United States created specifically as an art museum. Founded in Washington, DC, in 1869, the Corcoran remained a vital part of the city for nearly 150 years. After the museum closed in 2014, the National Gallery of Art took responsibility for the collection, acquiring over 9,000 of the museum’s works.

Ranging from antiquities to contemporary works, the broad range of European and American paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, prints, drawings, and photographs in the Corcoran Collection has immeasurably enriched the National Gallery’s holdings.

This beautifully illustrated volume is the first to examine the legacy of the collection and its impact on the study and appreciation of art in the United States. It includes works by well-known artists including Rembrandt Peale, Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Frederic Edwin Church, Edgar Degas, Edward Hopper, William Eggleston, Georgia O’Keeffe, Gordon Parks, Alma Thomas, Kara Walker, and Kerry James Marshall, among many others.Sarah Cash is associate curator of American and British paintings at the National Gallery of Art and former Bechhoefer Curator of American Art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Lynne Cooke is senior curator of modern and contemporary art at the National Gallery of Art.