The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden says its redesigned Sculpture Garden opened to the public on Saturday, October 31, returning a 1.3-acre outdoor art space to visitors on Washington’s National Mall after a four-year transformation.
The museum’s current exhibition page confirms the reopening. Its opening-day program scheduled access to the garden from 11 a.m. Eastern, with free activities continuing through the afternoon. Free public programs are also planned for November 1.
Artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto led the redesign, which reconnects the garden and museum plaza through a restored underground passage. The museum describes the reflective stainless-steel installation inside that route, Passage of Reflectance, as both an artwork and a link between the two outdoor spaces.
The project also expands access to five entrances, including ramps and a wider entrance from the Mall. In its October 29 advance announcement, the Smithsonian identified the work as the Hirshhorn campus’s largest renovation since the museum opened in 1974.
The garden and plaza now display nearly 60 sculptures, according to the museum. Almost 30,000 new trees and plants accompany the installation, with additional seating and shade incorporated into the landscape.
The redesigned spaces accommodate different uses. The East Galleries include Modernist sculpture, while the Central Galleries have an expanded water feature that can be drained for seating during performances, talks and education programs.
The West Lawn opens with Yoshitomo Nara: Sentinels of Stillness, a presentation of new sculpture scheduled to remain on view through November 7, 2027. Opening-weekend programming includes artist talks and art-making activities; those scheduled events are separate from the museum’s confirmation that the garden itself has reopened.