Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960
Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960 is a major survey exhibition that celebrates the Hirshhorn Museum's 50th anniversary by showcasing 208 works by 122 artists drawn from the permanent collection. The show spans a transformative century shaped by new currents in science and philosophy, rapid mechanization, and the rise of modernism. Installed in the Outer Ring galleries on the museum's second floor, the exhibition presents art in largely chronological order, highlighting the rush of movements and genres that defined modern art and the ascendance of abstraction. Alongside historical pieces, the exhibition includes contemporary works by 19 artists whose practices demonstrate that revolutionary ideas from that period remain vital today.
When: March 22, 2024 through November 1, 2026.
Where: Outer Ring galleries, second floor, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.
Artists: Features 122 historic artists including Francis Bacon, Jean Dubuffet, Lee Krasner, Wifredo Lam, Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Horace Pippin, Richard Diebenkorn, and Robert Rauschenberg, among many others. Contemporary artists whose works are also on view—some added as recently as January 2026—include Abraham Cruzvillegas, Torkwase Dyson, Annette Lemieux, Joel Sternfeld, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Genesis Tramaine, and Flora Yukhnovich.
Highlights: Notable works include Horace Pippin's "Dogfight over the Trenches" (c. 1939) and "Holy Mountain III" (1945). The exhibition emphasizes work by artists who engaged the mind as well as the eye, reflecting the arc of modernism and the rise of abstraction. Many pieces were gifts from founding donor Joseph H. Hirshhorn, whose donations of nearly 6,000 works before the museum opened in 1974 and 6,400 more upon his death formed one of the world's most important postwar American and European art collections.
Curators: Organized by Hirshhorn Curator Marina Isgro and Assistant Curator Betsy Johnson, with assistance from former Curatorial Assistant Alice Phan.
Support: Generously supported by the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, with major support from Véronique and Marshall Parke and the John and Barbara Vogelstein Foundation, and additional funding from the Hirshhorn International Council and Hirshhorn Collectors’ Council.
Accessibility: An accessibility brochure is available online; printed copies and a braille version are available at the museum.
Programs: Free public programs accompany the exhibition, including an artist talk on March 22, 2024, and a 50th-birthday celebration on October 4, 2024.
Audio Tour: Katy Hessel’s "Museums Without Men" audio tour, embedded in the exhibition, invites visitors to explore nine works by women artists on view, including pieces by Aleksandra Exster, Lee Krasner, and Flora Yukhnovich. The free nine-stop tour is accessible via the museum’s website or the Hirshhorn Eye (Hi) smartphone guide.
Price: Free admission.