WASHINGTON — One of the nation’s oldest museums and its art college will be allowed to merge with two larger institutions, effectively dissolving one of the few independent art galleries in the nation’s capital, a judge ruled Monday.
The ruling by District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert Okun determines the future of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and its college after years of financial and managerial trouble. The decision comes days before the Corcoran college’s new school year is to begin.
Trustees of the Corcoran will now merge the museum and college into George Washington University and the National Gallery of Art, handing over its $2 billion in assets. The Corcoran will become an art school within the larger university.
“Today we take a dramatic step toward realizing a dynamic partnership that will safeguard the Corcoran legacy for generations to come,” said George Washington University President Steven Knapp.
National Gallery of Art Director Earl A. Powell III said the collaboration will make the Corcoran art collection more accessible to more people in the nation’s capital.
A group of students and faculty fought the merger, arguing the Corcoran could be saved with better leadership, philanthropic support or a better partnership model. Witnesses in the court case described an organization in limbo with a broken fundraising operation and struggling board.
In a city full of government-funded museums, the Corcoran was one of the few independent art galleries and was celebrated for its adventurous programs in the past.
