Salon Doré

The Salon Doré is the Corcoran’s 18th-century French period room. It was originally part of the hôtel de Clermont, an important early 18th-century private residence in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, an old aristocratic quarter of Paris. After purchasing the house in 1768, Pierre-Gaspard-Marie Grimod, Count d’Orsay, commissioned the Salon Doré as the drawing room for his bride, Marie-Louise-Albertine-Amélie, Princess de Croÿ-Molenbais; it was completed just in time for their marriage in December 1770.

In 1926, the room’s gilded wall paneling and ceiling mural came to the Corcoran as part of the bequest of William A. Clark (1839-1925), an industrialist and United States Senator from Montana. Senator Clark purchased the room around 1904 for installation in the mansion he was building on Fifth Avenue at 77th Street in New York City. Today, Corcoran students, faculty, and staff activate the salon in a variety of new and engaging ways.

Read more about the Salon Doré's history in this interview with Dare Hartwell, former Head Conservator of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the conservator who oversaw the 2024 restoration of the Salon Doré.

In the fall of 2023, Corcoran presented “Instruments in the 21st Century: Expanding Sounds.” Students joined artists Natalie Chami, Alma Laprida, and Heather Stebbins in the Salon Doré for a workshop dedicated to exploring sound through various instruments, methods, and technologies. Later, after the workshop, with Director Onkey in attendance, students gathered in the Salon to attend a final performance from the artists. Photos of Performance by Eric Lee, New Media Photojournalism '20.

The Salon Doré hosted OPEN JAM, by the GW Hip Hip Ensemble, an inviting space to hear, collaborate, and perform with people from all fields - artists and photographers to emcees and performers. Photos by Eric Lee, New Media Photojournalism '20 (October 2023)