Art Works Podcast: Curator Sarah Cash
In this week's podcast, we celebrate the Fourth of July by visiting one of the great collections of American art. With curator Sarah Cash as guide, we learn what went into the making of the American art wing at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. As the first dedicated art museum in the United States, the Corcoran is known for its works of historical significance, like Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington, or Samuel Morse’s The House of Representatives. Since the gallery has always been committed to acquiring contemporary work, its collection truly parallels the history of American art itself.
As the gallery grew in prominence, artists began vying for the attention of its curators and its wealthy patron and founder, William Wilson Corcoran. One of the most strategic moves was by the artist Albert Bierstadt, who painted one the great works to hang in the Corcoran, The Last of the Buffalo.
