WASHINGTON D.C.—Beginning May 1, the Corcoran
Gallery of Art and Mount
Vernon Estate & Gardens will offer a special shared promotion in honor
of President and General George Washington. With a ticket stub from Mount Vernon,
guests to the Corcoran will receive 50% off adult admission to the special
exhibition, The American Evolution: A History through Art. Corcoran patrons
will receive reciprocal half-price admission to Mount Vernon.
In addition, members of Mount Vernon or the Corcoran may enter the partnering
site free of charge by presenting their membership card. This limited offer
is valid through the close of The American Evolution: A History through
Art on July 27, 2008.
The American Evolution dedicates a gallery to Washington, displaying distinguished
portraits of the President by such varied American artists as Gilbert Stuart
and Alex Katz. The exhibition prominently features Rembrandt Peale’s
monumental 1824 painting Washington Before Yorktown and Jennie Bellows Millard’s
c. 1850 painting of Mount Vernon.
In addition, a life mask of Washington, sculpted by Jean-Antoine Houdon, connects
the Corcoran’s collection to Mount Vernon’s historic holdings.
In 1785, sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon traveled from France to Mount Vernon
to study Washington for two weeks, a visit that resulted in the creation of
the Corcoran’s mask and a terracotta bust featured in Mount Vernon’s
Houdon Bust Gallery.
ABOUT THE HOUDON BUST
The Houdon Bust Gallery features Mount Vernon’s most prized artifact,
Houdon’s terracotta bust of Washington, created from the Corcoran’s
life mask. This remarkable sculpture—the most accurate physical likeness
of Washington—installed at Washington’s height to give visitors
an indication of how he towered over most of his contemporaries. Adjacent to
the gallery is a nook where visitors can see a History Channel video showing
how the life mask was prepared and the terracotta bust created.
Houdon sculpted this bust from locally dug clay and possibly fired it in the
kitchen bake oven. Houdon left the bust with Washington and took with him a
life mask and detailed physical measurements to complete the final sculpture
in France. Washington placed the bust over one of the doors in his study, where
it remained until removed for conservation reasons.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN EVOLUTION
A fresh look at the Corcoran’s extensive American holdings, The American
Evolution showcases nearly 200 objects in a wide range of media, dating from
the colonial era to present day. The exhibition presents the collection in
light of five themes that have shaped American culture: Money, Land,
Politics, Cultural Exchange and The Modern World. 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.
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.
ABOUT MOUNT VERNON ESTATE AND GARDENS
Since 1860, over 80 million visitors have made George Washington’s Mount
Vernon Estate & Gardens the most popular historic home in America. Through
thought-provoking tours, entertaining events, and stimulating educational programs
on the Estate and in classrooms across the nation, Mount Vernon strives to
preserve George Washington’s place in history as “First in War,
First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.” Mount Vernon
is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, America’s
oldest national preservation organization, founded in 1853. A picturesque drive
to the southern end of the scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount
Vernon is located just 16 miles from the nation’s capital.
Mount Vernon is open daily. April-August, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; March, September,
October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; November – February, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular
admission rates: adults, $13.00; senior citizens, $12.00; children age 6-11,
when accompanied by an adult, $6.00; and children under age 5, FREE. Admission
fees, restaurant and retail proceeds, along with private donations, support
the operation and restoration of Mount Vernon. - more -
Corcoran/Mount Vernon discount/page three
ABOUT THE CORCORAN
The Corcoran Gallery of Art, a privately funded institution, was founded in
1869 as Washington’s first and largest non-federal museum of art. It
is known internationally for its distinguished collection of historical and
modern American art as well as contemporary art, photography, European painting,
sculpture and the decorative arts. Founded in 1890, the Corcoran College
of Art + Design is Washington’s only college of art and design offering
Bachelor of Fine Art degrees in Photojournalism, Digital Media Design, Fine
Art, Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Photography; Associate of Fine
Art degrees in Digital Media Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design and Photography;
a five-year Bachelor of Fine Arts/Master of Arts degree in Fine Art and Teaching
(BFA/MAT); and two-year Master of Arts degrees in Teaching, Art Education,
Interior Design, Exhibition Design, and the History of Decorative Arts. The
College’s Continuing Education program offers part-time credit and
non-credit classes for children and adults.
The Corcoran’s hours of operation are as follows: Monday, Wednesday,
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9
p.m.; closed Tuesday. Regular admission to The American Evolution: A History
through Art cost $12 for adults/seniors/military and $10 for students. Exhibition
ticket prices include The American Evolution and general admission
to the museum.
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View images and further details from this exhibition
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CONTACT:
Kristin Guiter, Manager of Media Relations, Corcoran,
(202) 639-1867, kguiter@corcoran.org
Emily Coleman Dibella, Director of Public Affairs, Mount Vernon
(703) 799-8607, edibella@mountvernon.org
Media Resources:
Advance Exhibition Schedule
Archived
Press Releases
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