Sunday, October 02, 2005
Edward Hopper's "Ground Swell"
October 2, 2005
Arts Editor
Style Section
Washington Post
1150 15th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20071
Dear Sir:
I am of the opinion that the greatest work of art owned by the Corcoran Gallery of Art is Edward Hopper's painting "Ground Swell." But I am beginning to get the impression that the museum would prefer to keep this masterpiece under wraps.
Over the course of 10 visits to the Corcoran "Ground Swell" has been visible perhaps a grand total of 3 times. And on yesterdays trip to see the exhibition "Encouraging American Genius - Master Painting of the Corcoran Gallery of Art" the Hopper work is the very last painting in the show, placed on back of a wall as you exit the space. It is as if the curator is saying that see can see the painting if you wish but we are not going to make it easy to do.
This is strange behavior for an institution which promotes "Ground Swell" at every opportunity. Its image appears on the front of its membership application and is on mugs, mouse pads, and other paraphernalia in the gift shop. It is especially odd treatment of this artist considering that in 1937 the museum awarded Edward Hopper its first W.A. Clark Prize and a gold metal for his work "Cape Cod Afternoon."
The Corcoran needs to recognize the fact that there are members of the public who come to the Corcoran solely to see this important piece of art. A year ago when the Chicago Art Institute lent Hopper's "Nighthawks" to the Tate Modern it announced the fact on its website so visitors wouldn't come expecting to see it and then be disappointed. It is high time that the Corcoran paid the same respect to "Ground Swell."
Sincerely,
Mark Lerner
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