When asked what would happen if the museum did not cancel the show, Mr. Levine said, "Then they're not going to get any more city funds."

The Corcoran's action is not the first time a museum has canceled a controversial show.

Congressional pressure was so great that the museum eventually canceled the exhibition.

Many museum and galleries that were interested in the show later cancelled fearing that hosting an exhibit that was all Palestinian could cost them their funding.

Afraid that the project might incite antagonism toward Japan, the museum canceled the show.

After being criticized for trivializing the ship's role in slavery while glorifying its role in piracy, the museum canceled the exhibit.

But in 2002 the museum canceled the widely publicized Frank Gehry plan, above, for financial reasons.

The three finalists were to present site-specific design proposals later that year, but the museum cancelled its architectural competition after only a month and went with the 45-year-old Botta.

The show was supposed to include 20th-century vanguard work, as an integral part of a historical picture of Chinese culture, but at the last minute the museum canceled that section.

The new Jewish museum in Berlin canceled its public opening.