American Evolution: A History Through Art

The American Evolution presents the collection in light of five themes that have shaped American culture: Money, Land, Politics, Cultural Exchange and The Modern World (see Exhibition Walk-Through Press Release). These themes are fundamental to the development of the United States, as well as to the stories that have become central to the country's national identity. As demonstrated in this exhibition, art plays a crucial role in telling these stories.

"This exhibition is one of the largest and most diverse displays of American art ever to be mounted at the Corcoran. It is not size and scope alone that distinguish the installation from earlier presentations of our collection, however. The display also purposefully rejects the chronological structure of traditional art historical surveys in favor of a thematic model that highlights continuities in American artistic production and culture from the colonial era to the present day," said Emily Shapiro, Assistant Curator of American Art.

The American Evolution is sponsored by the Sotheby's MasterCard®. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The term "evolution" suggests change over time, and The American Evolution proposes that the United States is a dynamic nation in a constant state of re-definition. From Gilbert Stuart's stately 18th-century 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 abstract 1975 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 the past 250 years.

"This exhibition has work that will appeal to everyone, from people interested in traditional American painting and history to those more drawn to contemporary art and culture," said Sarah Newman, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art. "It provides a tour of the most of the great developments in American art over the past two centuries, but it also puts them into a context which throws new light on old favorites."

This highly anticipated display 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 (see Public Programs Press Release) will explore Americans' use of visual images as a means to describe and understand the world around them. 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 visitors about themselves, their national identity and their evolving nation.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is thrilled to provide its first cell-phone tour in conjunction with The American Evolution. A variety of speakers on selected topics will be available to visitors throughout the exhibition. Using their own cell-phone, visitors choose interpretations or discussions of interest. The cell-phone tour is provided free of charge and a Spanish translation of all discussions will be available. -- www.corcoran.org