Donors and Advocacy Group in Suit to Stop Corcoran Takeover

Opponents of a plan to turn the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s assets over to two other Washington, D.C., institutions filed suit Wednesday to block the reorganization, arguing that the venerable, financially troubled museum can survive as an independent entity, The Washington Post reports.

The proposal announced in February calls for the National Gallery of Art to take over the Corcoran’s collection and for George Washington University to inherit its art and design school and manage its historic Beaux-Arts building near the White House. Because it involves a charity, the deal must win court approval, a process the Corcoran initiated last month.

The Corcoran says turning to better-funded new owners is the best hope for maintaining the 145-year-old museum’s mission. Critics of the move, including advocacy group Save the Corcoran and museum donors, ex-staff members, and students and faculty at the art school, assert in their legal challenge that the breakup represents “an abdication of the trustees’ role as stewards” and call for an audit of the Corcoran’s finances.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that the Corcoran can be saved, can succeed and thrive,” said co-plaintiff Jayme McLellan, an art donor and faculty member. “It just can’t do it with this board at the helm.”