Hirshhorn Museum
Art museum · National Mall ·
Modern art museum with serene sculpture gardens on National Mall
Modern art museum with serene sculpture gardens on National Mall
"An iconic circular Smithsonian museum and sculpture garden on the National Mall that turned 50 last year dedicates its inner-circle galleries on the second floor from April 4 to January 3, 2027 to 35 new and recent paintings (and a single-channel video) by Adam Pendleton, marking the American abstractionist’s first solo exhibit in D.C. The exhibit opens to the public Friday, April 4, and the museum and its cafe stay open 2.5 hours later (until 8 p.m.) that night. Pendleton’s collections have previously appeared at MoMA and the Guggenheim in New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Tate Modern, London. The institution is also home to Auguste Rodin’s famed “The Burghers of Calais,” Yayoi Kusama’s infinity mirrors, and a current Basquiat x Banksy exhibit. The museum is among the group of Smithsonian institutions affected by a new executive order announced on Thursday, March 27 that aims to remove “anti-American ideology” across its 21 museums; this museum was not specifically named in that order, but several others were." - Tierney Plumb
"Home to Dolcezza, a coffee and gelato shop with seasonal, locally sourced offerings." - Abi Newhouse
"Smithsonian Modern Art Located on the National Mall, the Smithsonian Institution's only modern art museum boasts the United States' most comprehensive collection of 20th-century art, with more than 12,000 paintings, sculptures, and photographs. The spectrum and evolution of contemporary art are reflected in works from a diverse array of artists, including Matisse, Picasso, de Koonig, and Warhol. Adjacent to the museum, the 1.5-acre multi-terraced Sculpture Garden creates a tranquil area for viewing more than 60 sculptures, such as Rodin's "Burghers of Calais," which was nearly confiscated by the Nazis during World War II."
"Its sculpture garden and plaza alone is a calming oasis to relax and take in the scene. But the museum is also a fixture for contemporary artworks, with some of its past exhibitions having highlighted popular artists like Yayoi Kusama and Ai Wei Wei."
"Nothing is off limits at the Hirshhorn, whose vast permanent collection boasts a fine range of pioneering sculpture, digital media, photography, video, performance-based pieces, and more, all from 21st-century innovators. On our most recent visit, a seismic new commission of abstract paintings by Mark Bradford encircled the entire third level inner-circle galleries, while an exhibit by Yayoi Kusama complete with her famed Infinity Mirror Rooms will soon open. Designed in a hollow drum lifted 14 feet off the ground and surrounded by sculpture-filled gardens, the Hirshhorn is an ideal space to see contemporary art." - Amy McKeever, Adele Chapin
