Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden


Established	1974
Location	Washington, D.C., on the National Mall
Type	Art museum
Visitors	828,949 (2022)
Public transit access	at L'Enfant Plaza

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It's a special place for modern and contemporary art. The museum mainly shows art created after World War II, especially from the last 50 years.

The museum was started with a large art collection from Joseph H. Hirshhorn in the 1960s. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the famous Smithsonian Institution. The Hirshhorn building itself is quite unique. It looks like a large cylinder lifted up on four big "legs," with a big fountain in the middle courtyard.

History of the Hirshhorn Museum
Museum Architecture
- Architectural Changes Over Time
Museum Visitors
See also
- Artworks in the Collection

History of the Hirshhorn Museum

How the Museum Started

Back in the late 1930s, the United States Congress decided that the National Mall needed a new art museum. At that time, the only art museum was the National Gallery of Art, which focused on older European art. However, World War II put these plans on hold.

Meanwhile, a man named Joseph H. Hirshhorn was becoming very successful from his investments in uranium mining. He started collecting art, from classic French Impressionism to works by artists who were alive at the time. His collection grew to include American modernism and many sculptures.

By 1955, Hirshhorn sold his uranium businesses for over $50 million. His art collection became so large that he needed warehouses, an apartment in New York City, and a big estate in Connecticut to store it all.

In 1962, a sculpture show at the Guggenheim Museum in New York showed the world how amazing Hirshhorn's collection was. Many museums from different countries wanted his art. But President Lyndon B. Johnson and Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley worked hard to bring the collection to a new museum on the National Mall.

In 1966, a special law was passed by Congress to create the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Most of the money for the museum came from the government. Joseph Hirshhorn also gave $1 million to help with construction.

The museum officially opened in 1974. Joseph Hirshhorn spoke at the opening, saying he was honored to give his art collection to the American people. He felt it was a way to thank the country for what it had done for him as an immigrant. In its first six months, one million people visited the museum to see the 850 artworks on display.

Museum Leadership

Over the years, many talented people have led the Hirshhorn Museum. Abram Lerner was the first director. He helped bring over 6,000 artworks from Hirshhorn's estate to Washington, D.C.

Later, Melissa Chiu became the director in September 2014. She was born in Australia and is an expert in contemporary Chinese art. She helped the museum celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Amazing Artworks at the Hirshhorn

The Hirshhorn Museum has a fantastic collection of art by many famous artists. Some of these include Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, and Willem de Kooning.

Outside the museum, there's a sculpture garden filled with impressive sculptures. You can see works by artists like Auguste Rodin, Alexander Calder, and Jeff Koons.

Yoko Ono's Wish Tree for Washington, DC is a special artwork in the Sculpture Garden. Since 2007, people from all over the world have added their wishes to this tree.

In 2019, the museum received a huge gift: the entire Marcel Duchamp collection from Barbara and Aaron Levine. It's one of the biggest collections of his work in the world!

The Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin (1889)
The Burghers of Calais
The Burghers of Calais (closeup)

Museum Architecture

The museum was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft. It has about 60,000 square feet (5,600 m²) of space inside for exhibitions. Outside, the Sculpture Garden covers nearly four acres. The New York Times once called it "a fortress of a building that works as a museum."

The building is 231 feet (70 m) wide and 82 feet (25 m) tall. It stands 14 feet (4.3 m) off the ground on four huge supports. The central courtyard has a 60 feet (18 m) fountain.

The Sculpture Garden is across Jefferson Drive. It's sunken 6–14 feet (1.8–4.3 m) below street level and has ramps to make it easy for everyone to visit.

Architectural Changes Over Time

1969: Construction began for the Hirshhorn Museum. There was some debate about naming a building on the historic National Mall after a living person. People also discussed the museum's modern look.
1971: The original plan for the Sculpture Garden was changed. The new design made the garden smaller and moved its position. It was designed to be simple, with gravel and few plants, to make the artworks stand out.
1974: The museum opened with three floors of art galleries, a fountain plaza, and the Sculpture Garden.
1981: The Sculpture Garden was renovated and redesigned by Lester Collins. He added plants, paved paths, and grassy areas, making it more welcoming.
1993: The area around and under the museum building was renovated by landscape architect James Urban. New granite paving and trees were added.
2021: Major restoration work began on the outside of the building. A new design for the Sculpture Garden by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto was approved. This new design will allow underground access from the Sculpture Garden to the museum building.

The museum's exterior from the north.
Exterior from the northeast.
North entrance
View from inside the central courtyard.
Looking toward the central courtyard.
Central courtyard and fountain.
Inner gallery.
Outer gallery.
Basement gallery.

Museum Visitors

The Hirshhorn Museum is a popular place to visit. In 2019, about 890,000 people came to see the art.

However, in 2020, the number of visitors dropped a lot because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum had to close from March 2020 until August 2021. In 2022, the number of visitors was 828,949, showing that people are coming back to enjoy the museum's amazing collections.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden facts for kids

Contents