DC's oldest art museum has always been terrific, but it had a tough time standing up to the free, federal competition around the block. In mid-2014 it gave up and let the National Gallery of Art take possession. The Corcoran's historic beaux-arts building will close for renovations into 2016 (at least). It will then reopen as a National Gallery annex showcasing modern and contemporary works from the merged collection.
The building will also have a 'legacy gallery' where old Corcoran favorites such as the gilded Salon Doré (part of an 18th-century Parisian mansion the Count d'Orsay had built for his princess bride) will be on view.
