INDOC. Documentation Centre about Art and Nature

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is a major museum of modern and contemporary art located in Washington, D.C. The museum opened in 1974 thanks to the effort and generosity of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, who donated his collection. Its mission is to bring contemporary art to a wide audience. The building, designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft, boasts 5,500 m² of exhibition space and a sculpture garden.

The collection

The permanent collection of more than 11,500 works of art includes pieces by leading artists from the late 19th century to the present day and comprises paintings, sculpture, photography, video and other genres.

The museum’s holdings include work by Alberto Giacometti, Clyfford Still, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Ana Mendieta and Arshile Gorky.

Exhibitions

Exhibitions are organised within the framework of three programmes.

‘Directions’ explores new work by emerging and established artists. As part of this series an exhibition of work by Irish artist John Gerrard is currently underway. The show, which opened on 5 November and runs until 30 May 2010, presents the artist’s photographs of oil fields, which raise questions about the environmental impact of human progress.

The ‘Black Box’ space presents the latest directions in video art, focusing on works created by emerging artists.

‘Ways of Seeing’ – an ongoing project initiated in 2006 – invites individual artists, filmmakers and other thinkers to explore the museum’s holdings and create installations that reflect their own unique perspectives.

The Hirshhorn Museum carries out a broad range of exhibition-related activities. These include everything from workshops for children and teenagers to opportunities to meet artists. The museum opens its doors on a number of nights of the year to host concerts. It also organises a film series featuring independent productions, including both documentaries and shorts.

More information and contact

Smithsonian Institution
P.O. Box 37012

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
MRC Code 350
Washington, DC 20013-7012

• Hirshhorn Museum website

Source: texts, CDAN; Photos extracted from the Hirshhorn Museum website. Photo at the top of the page by Lee Stalsworth. Photo on cover page by Chris Rossi.

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