Sculpture Garden
The revitalized Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden will open to the public on Saturday, October 31, 2026, after a four-year transformation of its 1.3-acre landscape. The reopening will be celebrated with free public programs throughout the October 31–November 1 opening weekend. The redesigned garden will display nearly 60 sculptures—50 percent more than in the previous installation—among almost 30,000 newly planted trees and plants.
Architect and artist Hiroshi Sugimoto reimagined the garden while honoring Gordon Bunshaft’s original design. The renovation restores Bunshaft’s long-closed underground passageway, reconnecting the garden with the museum plaza. It also adds dry-stacked walls made from 950 tons of hand-cut stone, expanded seating and shade, five entrances, a larger National Mall entrance, wide north and south ramps, and new east and west overlooks. Flexible areas support commissions, performances, artist talks, art education, and other time-based works.
The East Garden brings together major Modernist works, including sculptures by Auguste Rodin, Henri Matisse, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and David Smith, alongside recent acquisitions and commissions. The Central Garden includes a water feature that can be filled as a reflective cooling surface or drained to create seating for performances and programs. The West Garden provides a dedicated presentation area, while the West Lawn will debut Yoshitomo Nara’s exhibition *Sentinels of Stillness*.
When: October 31–November 1, 2026
Opening: The garden opens to the public on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Showtimes: No specific program times are listed. The reopening includes public programs during the October 31–November 1 opening weekend.
Tickets: Free public programs
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Location: The garden is part of the Hirshhorn Museum campus and includes a wider entrance on the National Mall, north and south ramps, and a restored underground passageway connecting it with the museum plaza.
Featured exhibition: *Yoshitomo Nara: Sentinels of Stillness* inaugurates the West Lawn and runs from October 31, 2026, through November 7, 2027.
Collection and works: The installation includes nearly 60 sculptures from the Hirshhorn’s national collection, including five works by Henry Moore, two by Barbara Hepworth, four David Smith sculptures arranged in a central planting bed, and works by Auguste Rodin, Lucio Fontana, Elisabeth Frink, Willem de Kooning, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Germaine Richier, and Tomonori Toyofuku.
Additional artists: Hans (Jean) Arp, Huma Bhabha, Max Bill, Andrea Cascella, Theaster Gates, Alberto Giacometti, Mark Grotjahn, Raven Halfmoon, Lauren Halsey, Richard Hunt, Izumi Kato, KAWS, Jeff Koons, Gaston Lachaise, Henri Laurens, Lee Ufan, Jacques Lipchitz, Aristide Maillol, Yoshitomo Nara, Yoko Ono, Woody De Othello, Chatchai Puipia, Pedro Reyes, Sterling Ruby, Arlene Shechet, Tony Smith, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and others are represented in the garden and plaza.
Accessibility: The redesign expands public access with five entry points, a wider National Mall entrance, wide ramps from the north and south, and a restored passageway linking the garden and museum plaza.
Program spaces: The garden includes flexible areas for performances, commissions, artist talks, art education, and other time-based artworks. Its central water feature can be converted from a reflective surface into seating for events.
Design team: Hiroshi Sugimoto led the redesign. His team included New Material Research Laboratory, cofounded by Sugimoto and Tomoyuki Sakakida; YUN Architecture; Quinn Evans as architect of record; and Rhodeside & Harwell Inc. as landscape architect.