WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Corcoran Gallery of Art will sell 10 paintings from its permanent collection in a public auction in December, the Washington Post reports. The move is part of a larger five-year strategic plan to refine the museum's mission and raise money for future acquisitions.

"The de-accessioning comes after a proper analysis of our collections," said director Paul Greenhalgh. "Famously, the Corcoran collections caused a lot of debate because they are quite wide-ranging."

The museum has not yet signed a contract with an auction house, and Greenhalgh declined to comment on how much the sale is estimated to bring in. The works hitting the block are: John Ellery by Gilbert Stuart; The Return From the Tournament by Thomas Cole; Tenafly, Autumn by George Inness; Child Playing With Rabbi by Eastman Johnson; The Smithy by Gari Melchers; Christmas Roses by William Glackens; Giverny Landscape by Frederick Carl Frieseke; Spring Landscape by John Twachtman; Still Life by Edmund Tarbell; and Late Afternoon by Alexander Wyant.

Moving forward, the museum will concentrate on American art from 1700 to 1980, European art from 1600 to 1914, decorative arts to 1980, photography and media arts, and contemporary art (post-1980). Once these five categories had been established, the staff created de-accession and acquisition lists. The process took two years of research.

The museum decided to go with public instead of private sales because of the desire to be open about the process, and because of its own rule to use public auctions.

The Corcoran's finances have been of some concern in recent years, as it faced recurring deficits of $1 million or more and an attempt to raise money for a $200 million extension by Frank Gehry failed.