Exploratory art aptly describes the exhibits at Washington, D.C.’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Outstanding contemporary artists display their work here, so a visit is an excellent way to discover rising talent. Spend as much time as you’d like wandering among the exhibits. Alternatively, take one of the free daily 45-minute tours providing any needed help to fully appreciate the art.
Many of the artworks are included in a donation of about 6,000 pieces from New York businessman and art collector Joseph H. Hirshhorn. Be confronted with Barbara Kruger’s Belief+Doubt photomontage that has the intention of making viewers question life’s realities. The bombardment of phrases, sentences and questions on every surface has the effect of causing you to stop and think. The exhibit extends from the lower lobby area into the museum shop with its unique assortment of items.
While the museum’s contents make a statement, the building itself is worthy of admiration. Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto redesigned the lobby as an immersive, functional artwork. Enjoy coffee at a 20-foot (6-meter) metal bar, take a seat on the uniquely designed furniture and admire the light sculpture by Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson.
Walk through the Sculpture Garden, which has over 60 artworks dating from the 1880s to modern times. See Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais and Monument to Balzac. Among the more recent works is Jimmie Durham’s Still Life with Spirit and Xitle that looks like a car may have been at the wrong place at the wrong time in a meeting with a meteorite with eyes. Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin adds a bright patch of color, especially pleasant when snowfall covers the city.
The building’s exterior circular shape is often used as a canvas or to make an artistic statement, such as by having a form rise from the central circular opening.
Visit the museum’s website to learn about the latest exhibitions. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, part of the Smithsonian Institution, is located in the southwestern portion of the city along the National Mall. It is open every day, except Christmas Day, and admission is free. The museum provides full accessibility.
