The American Evolution A History through Art

The American Evolution: A History through Art offers a fresh look at the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s time-honored collection of American art. A display of more than 200 objects in a wide range of media dating from the Colonial era to the present, the exhibition focuses on five overarching themes that have shaped American culture: Money, Land, Politics, Cultural Exchange, and The Modern World. These themes are fundamental to the way that the United States has developed, and to the stories we tell about ourselves.The term evolution suggests change over time. Embracing the idea that the United States is a dynamic nation in a constant state of re-definition, the exhibition nevertheless reveals remarkable continuities in artistic production from the 18th to the 21st century. From Gilbert Stuart’s stately c.1800 portrait of George Washington to Andy Warhol’s irreverent 1973 likeness of the Chinese leader Mao Zedong, and from Frederic Edwin Church’s dramatic 1857 view from the brink of Niagara Falls to Richard Diebenkorn’s 1975 abstract rendering of the suburban expanses of Ocean Park, California, The American Evolution explores many of the ways that American life and art have developed over 250 years.This long-awaited re-installation of highlights from the Corcoran’s American collection will include a remarkable number of iconic works in a variety of genres. The display will feature stately Colonial-era portraits by John Singleton Copley and Gilbert Stuart; elegant neoclassical marble sculptures by Hiram Powers and William Rinehart; outstanding Hudson River School paintings by Thomas Cole and Sanford Gifford; grand Western subjects by Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Remington; light-filled landscapes and figure paintings by American Impressionists Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, and Childe Hassam; stunning examples of early American modernism by Marsden Hartley and Stuart Davis; important post-war abstractions by Joan Mitchell, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko; minimalist and post-minimalist treasures by Ellsworth Kelly, Gene Davis, and Martin Puryear; and contemporary works by Glenn Ligon and Kara Walker. This exhibition and its related programming will explore Americans’ use of visual images as a means to describe and understand the world around them. Moreover, this extensive presentation of the Corcoran’s collection will encourage a closer examination of the relationship between art and history. The works stand on their own as outstanding examples of the major styles, subjects, and movements of American art history, yet they are also cultural artifacts that have much to teach us about ourselves, our national identity, and our evolving nation. Educational programming will include the institution’s first collection audio tour in English and Spanish, an illustrated brochure, family guide materials, and a series of gallery talks.