Exhibitions

January 14 - March 21, 2026

Curated by Associate Professor Lisa Lipinski's History of Exhibitions class, this exhibition explores the work of Philippe Halsman, whose portraits of mid-20th-century cultural icons reveal the tension between public persona and private identity. Halsman (1906–1979), who arrived in the United States in 1940 after fleeing antisemitic persecution, revolutionized portrait photography through theatrical staging, inventive choreography, and bold experimentation.

Structured around the themes of Comedy, Theatricality, Femininity, and the Mask Abstracted, the exhibition examines how Halsman encouraged his subjects to participate in their own acts of masking — while simultaneously questioning whether photography can ever capture an authentic self. The exhibition offers a compelling dialogue with the Maria Callas costumes, uniting photography and performance through ideas of identity and presentation.

Image: Philippe Halsman, Allen Funt, Durward Kirby, Marilyn Van Herbur, 1960, gelatin silver print

Gift of Lawrence Benenson, 1983 (P.83.18.165) © Philippe Halsman Estate 2025

January 21 - March 21, 2026

For the first time ever in Washington, DC — six opera costumes created for the renowned performer Maria Callas from La Scala in Milan will be shown in the Brady Art Gallery. These represent La Divina in four memorable roles.

A joint effort between the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington and the Embassy of Greece is bringing these pieces accompanied by images of the sketches of the costumes by designers Nicolas Benoit and Piero Tosi and photographs of Callas to the Brady Art Gallery. These are all tied together by research and writing by students studying in the Corcoran Theater and Dance department under the guidance of Professor Tanya William Wetenhall and this exhibition will continue to be tied into the curriculum of the school during the Spring semester.

Andy Warhol's photographs reflect his daily life including his travels, romantic partners, social outings, inanimate objects and preparations for commissioned portraits. This exhibition focuses on the concept of the Polaroid and black and white photographs by Warhol in the GW Collection.  If read as mirrors to Warhol’s internal struggles they give insight into his feelings about being a famous and profitable artist, struggles with his sexuality and his friendships. 

Image: Andy Warhol, Jon Gould, 1982, black and white photograph, 8" x 10". Gift of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, 2008 (P.08.6.125) © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

An exhibition commemorating the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 national lockdown, showcasing 27 works from the Corcoran Study Collection curated and researched by MA Exhibition Design class of 2022, Dr. Lisa Lipinski's "History of Exhibitions". Through the lens of finding and uplifting community in times of isolation, the show follows eight themes, each linked to calls-to-actions, social justice organizations, and mutual aid funds, hoping to uplift these missions with larger audiences and community.

This exhibition seeks to show many facets of home through photographic works recently returned to the Corcoran Flagg Building from works exploring Washington, D.C., the city many of us call home, to more intangible feelings of where we find comfort, to the idea of the Corcoran Flagg Building as a dedicated home for art.

Image: Richard Rodriguez, Chris's Room, 1979, dye coupler print (chromogenic) mounted on board, 9" x 11-1/2". Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Museum Purchase with the aid of finds from the National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C., a Federal agency, and the Polaroid Corporation) CGA.1980.145 © Richard Rodriguez