Smithsonian’s Reimagined Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Set for Halloween Reopening
The revamped grounds will feature more than 60 artworks by artists including Willem de Kooning, Alberto Giacometti, Jeff Koons, and many more
Following over three-and-a-half years of closure and a reimagining by architect-artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden will reopen on October 31st. It will feature nearly 60 works by artists Hans (Jean) Arp, Willem de Kooning, Alberto Giacometti, Barbara Hepworth, KAWS, Jeff Koons, Aristide Maillol, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Henry Moore, Yoshitomo Nara, Yoko Ono, Pablo Picasso, and Auguste Rodin, to name a few.
The 1.3-acre cherry-tree-embellished sunken garden on the National Mall will have 30,000 new plants and trees softening Gordon Bunshaft’s rigorously austere original concrete architecture. A long-closed underground passageway has been restored to reconnect the garden with the Smithsonian Museum plaza. Also, a redesigned water feature doubles as a reflecting pool and can be drained to create a gathering place for performances and other public programs.
“The revitalization of the Sculpture Garden marks the most significant rethinking of our campus since the Hirshhorn opened in 1974, and the reopening installation presents the seamless connection between the museum and the garden through works from the 1880s to the present day,” explained Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu, continuing, “From Rodin, Willem de Kooning, Barbara Hepworth and David Smith to artists leading the way today, including Sugimoto, the Sculpture Garden centers pivotal moments in sculpture within a landscape designed for discovery.”
The Garden, originally designed by Bunshaft (of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill) in 1974, will offer renowned works like Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais and Monument to Balzac, and Matisse’s The Backs I–IV. On a contemporary level, KAWS’s SHELTER and Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree for Washington D.C. Yoshitomo Nara’s Sentinels of Stillness—three monumental white heads—are an inaugural brand-new set of works, and will be on display until November 7, 2027.
