Pinaree Sanpitak, Aey Phanachet, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Melissa Chiu, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, and Clare Kambhu.
Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Celebrates 50th Anniversary with New York Gala
The event honored 50 artists, including Jeff Koons, Rashid Johnson, and Marina Abramović as well as architect Peter Marino
On November 13, the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and Director Melissa Chiu hosted its largest Gala to date at the iconic Shed in New York City. The evening was a special and star-studded occasion where many of the art world’s best and brightest came together to celebrate one another and their contributions to American art and culture. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden officially opened on October 4, 1974, a few years after financier Joseph Hirshhorn donated almost 6,000 pieces of modern art and sculptures to the federal government. Today, it is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture, presenting trailblazing, contemporary artists while honoring its rich legacy.
As guests enjoyed cocktails, a memorable dinner and performance, Melissa Chiu and artist Jeff Koons gave a special toast to the 50 artist honorees for the institution’s 50th anniversary. Those artists included Marina Abramović; Doug Aitken; John Akomfrah; Ali Banisadr; Huma Bhabha; Jonah Bokaer; Lucy Bull; Abigail Deville; Elmgreen and Dragset; Mark Grotjahn; Shara Hughes; Rashid Johnson; Misha Kahn; Clare Kambhu; KAWS; Baseera Khan; Kimsooja; Jeff Koons; Tony Lewis; Lin Tianmiao; Rick Lowe; Rafael Lozano-Hemmer; Guadalupe Maravilla; Wangari Mathenge; Linn Meyers; Marilyn Minter; Kent Monkman; Mariko Mori; Oscar Murillo; Shirin Neshat; Aliza Nisenbaum; Woody De Othello; Tony Oursler; Adam Pendleton; Christina Quarles; Nathaniel Mary Quinn; Ugo Rondinone; Pinaree Sanpitak Ilana Savdie; Tschabalala Self; Arlene Shechet; Vaughn Spann; Pat Steir; Tavares Strachan; Hiroshi Sugimoto.
2024 Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Gala Honorees. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck. Images courtesy of Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
The Museum also presented the first-ever Hirshhorn Leader in the Arts Award to internationally renowned architect, art collector, and arts patron Peter Marino. In a memorable finale to the evening, Hiroshi Sugimoto, the architect behind the Museum’s Sculpture Garden revitalization on the National Mall and an artist honoree, sang an iconic rendition of Happy Birthday as he presented a custom-designed cake inspired by Gordon Bunshaft’s iconic architecture of the Hirshhorn Museum.
High profile guests in attendance included Marc Glimcher from Pace Gallery, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Max Hollein, and arts patron Ronald S. Lauder.
See below for more pictures of the glamorous event.
Melissa Chiu and Jeff Koons. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Sandra Masur and Thaddaeus Ropac. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Woody De Othello and Tyler Mitchell. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Annabelle Selldorf, Melissa Chiu, and Chris Cooper. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Frank Dunlevy, Susan Dunlevy, Juliana Terian, and Evelyn Hankins. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Ethan Buchsbaum, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, and Paul de Froment. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Amy Holmes and Kellie Honeycutt. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Aliza Nisenbaum and Marina Isgro. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Stéphany Maillery and Stephan Cretier. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Myra Molloy, Shadi Harouni, and Guadalupe Maravilla. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Christophe Thompson and Tavares Strachan. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Wang Qingsong. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Laurent Bergeron and Kent Monkman. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Jane Lole. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Adam Singer and Iris Singer. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Hiroshi Sugimoto. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Darren Walker, Ellen Susman, Juan Carlos Menendez, and Peter Marino. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Nora Lawrence and Abigail DeVille. Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
Cover: Pinaree Sanpitak, Aey Phanachet, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Melissa Chiu, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, and Clare Kambhu.
Photo: Bre Johnson, Jason Lowrie, Sabrina Steck/BFA.com
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