At the entrance of the garden portion of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, a sculpture of a pool shaped like the number 8 turned on its side appears like a mirage, a head-scratching curiosity elevated to the gargantuan status of the monuments surrounding it. The garden, closed for the past four years, has been undergoing a yearslong transformation behind the scenes, and this includes seven brand-new commissions created specifically for the Hirshhorn, of which the pool is one.
The artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset, known for their infamous Prada Marfa store re-creation in the Texas desert, were chosen to create an enigmatic anchor to the garden’s mall-facing entry point. “[With] an artwork like ‘Eight,’ you start with the question, ‘what is that?’” says Kate Gibbs, the Hirshhorn’s director of communications. “That really is the question we want you to ask throughout your visit.”
In addition to the commissioned works, the new arrangement of the garden features a mix of recent acquisitions, works from the initial 1974 installation of the garden, and many of Joseph Hirshhorn’s original gifts, ranging from the late 1800s to this year.
“One of the really exciting parts of the garden is this ability to create dialogues that go across generations, thinking about how artists from the early 20th century to now have used stone, have used bronze, have worked at different scales,” says Hirshhorn Curator of Media and Performance Art Marina Isgro.
The revamped sculpture garden was spearheaded by Japanese artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto, who was inspired by the gardens of his homeland. To emphasize the tradition of modernist art, he leaned toward using natural materials that he describes as “premodern,” such as walls of piled stones. He is also responsible for the 2018 update of the Hirshhorn’s interior lobby, which links the inside of the museum to the outside.
The original tunnel connecting the museum building to the garden has been closed to visitors since 1981. Sugimoto has not just reopened the tunnel, but turned it into an installation work in its own right titled “Passage of Reflection.” From the central “donut hole” of the Hirshhorn’s ringed building, visitors can travel down the stairs to the tunnel, the curved walls of which have been covered in super-shiny heat-treated stainless steel. The tempered surfaces become more distorted the further into the tunnel you travel, giving the uncanny sensation of going through the looking glass and emerging into the garden on the other side.
Inside the outdoor gallery, the space feels decidedly more garden-like. The area has been cleverly and thoughtfully reconfigured to find space for significantly more trees and plants (almost 30,000, according to the museum) and sculptures (“an increase of 50% from the previous installation”). Several works have been placed within intentional floral or foliage displays, such as the dense cluster of chocolate roses that surround Auguste Rodin’s “The Burghers of Calais.” Of the original garden, Sugimoto’s artist statement declares, “… it was missing the surrounding green plantings. The void … broiled beneath the summer sun, undermining the functionality of the garden.”
In contrast to the largely flat expanse of ground that existed before, tiers and built-in benches have been added, giving guests a plethora of different vantage points. Alcoves and walls have been introduced to create moments of respite (and yes, shade) around certain works, while others have been freed up from their backdrops. Yoko Ono’s popular “Wish Tree for Washington, DC,” which is occasionally open for visitors to affix their wishes written on tags to its branches, was previously placed against a wall; now, it’s in the middle of a section and approachable from all sides. This new configuration will be tested out for the first time when the work is available for wish-hanging during the opening weekend celebrations, kicking off on Halloween.
“Eight” isn’t the only pool in the mix: The center of the space, and one of the first sights upon walking through the tunnel, is a shallow water feature with walkways and, currently, another sculpture by Sugimoto. The artist designed the pool to be easily drained so that the space might host performance art, dance, and live music, which will figure into the museum’s programming beginning this spring.
Despite a plum location that directly faces the millions of visitors to the National Mall, and despite blockbuster attendance for exhibits by artists like Yayoi Kusama and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, the garden typically sees only about 150,000 visitors per year. You could be forgiven for previously overlooking it when passing by, since the surrounding walls block much of the view from above. Now, the top of Lauren Halsey’s work “keepers of the krown (antoinette grace halsey)” pokes up from the wall. It’s a column festooned with a likeness of her grandmother’s face around the top, and so that visage smiles out, almost at eye level for passerby on the National Mall.
Halsey’s sculpture isn’t the only way to get a face-to-face encounter at the garden: This Saturday, four of the commissioned artists will be on hand for talks at the opening ceremonies—making an unprecedented number of living artists gathering for a Hirshhorn event. Hear from Yoshitomo Nara, Chatchai Puipia, Raven Halfmoon, and Pedro Reyes, in addition to hands-on activities such as crafting your own miniature sculpture garden and button-making.
The Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden and Plaza opening celebration activities run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m on Oct. 31. hirshhorn.si.edu. Free.
