Washington DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art (May 2013)

My spouse and I visited the Corcoran Museum in late May 2013. We visited on a Saturday, when admission is free as part of their Summer Saturdays program (normally, admission is $10 per adult). The permanent collection resides on the ground/first floor of the Beaux Arts building, with rotating exhibits on the second floor. The museum is a manageable size, and it is possible to visit in about 2 hours.

Todd Gray’s Muse Cafe is on-site (although it is kind of out-in-the-open, better designed for a quick bite than a formal meal), as well as a gift shop and coat/backpack check. Guided tours of the entire collection and of highlighted/spotlighted works are available at designated times throughout the day.

We were primarily interested in seeing the few Impressionist paintings on display, including a few works by Monet and Renoir as well as pieces by Dutch and Flemish artists; however, we ended up being impressed by the collection of works by American artists like Warhol, Rothko, Whistler, Sargent, Cassatt, Homer, and Eakins. One gallery features an ornate, gilded room that was transported “in toto” from Paris, and another gallery features works hung in salon style rather than traditional museum style. We were interested in viewing one of the rotating exhibits on the second floor concerning war photography, but it was not yet open.

We are glad that we got to sample the museum for free! It was a nice way to spend a few hours. We hope the Summer Saturdays program continues.