Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden reopens with more art and new paths
The redesigned National Mall garden returns today with nearly 60 works, five entrances, expanded planting and restored underground access.
A four-year renovation changes how visitors enter and move
The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden reopens its Sculpture Garden on October 31 after a four-year renovation. The 1.3-acre site beside the National Mall now has five public entrances instead of two, creating additional routes between the museum, garden and surrounding pedestrian paths.
The redesign retains the garden's sunken character while dividing it into outdoor rooms for different scales of art. New walls use stacked stone and concrete, and an underground passage connecting the museum plaza to the garden has reopened. The Smithsonian says 950 tons of stone were used in the project.
Admission is free. An opening-day program is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the garden opening at 11 a.m. The celebration includes public activities, but the garden itself is the lasting change. Visitors should consult the museum's event page for access details rather than assuming every opening-day program repeats later.
Nearly 60 works span several generations of artists
The reopened display brings together nearly 60 sculptures. The museum's published list includes work by Auguste Rodin, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Yoko Ono, Simone Leigh, Mark di Suvero, Jean Arp, Huma Bhabha and other artists. The mix places older holdings alongside contemporary acquisitions rather than presenting a single chronological survey.
One new focal point is 'Passage of Reflectance,' a large pool-and-waterfall work by Hiroshi Sugimoto, who led the design with the museum and architects. The West Lawn provides space for performance and seasonal commissions. Each work remains an individual copyrighted creation; the museum's public display does not make photographs or reproductions free for unrestricted reuse.
The garden also draws on the museum's founding collection. Smithsonian background material says 24 works from the original Joseph H. Hirshhorn gift are included. That connection allows the reopening to function as both a facilities project and a reconsideration of how a national museum presents familiar holdings outdoors.
Landscape and accessibility are part of the redesign
The museum reports 57 trees and about 30,000 plants in the renewed landscape. Planting can shape shade, sound and sightlines while creating separation between works. It also adds maintenance demands that will become clearer through changing seasons, heavy visitor use and Washington's heat and rainfall.
More entrances and the restored passage are intended to improve circulation and make the garden easier to discover from different directions. Accessibility should be evaluated in practice through slopes, surfaces, seating, signage and route continuity. Visitors who need a specific accommodation can use the museum's access information before arriving.
The reopening is best understood as a new long-term framework rather than a fixed exhibition. Outdoor works, performance programs and seasonal commissions can change while the walls, paths and planting organize future displays. The museum's collection page and events calendar are the primary sources for what is on view on a particular date.