Hirshhorn sculpture garden set to reopen Oct. 31 after major overhaul

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., will reopen its sculpture garden on Oct. 31 after a major renovation that expands access, adds new spaces for performance and contemplation, and increases the garden’s capacity to display art. The reopening marks a significant milestone in the Smithsonian museum’s multi-phased campus revitalization, which has already included replacement of the building’s concrete exterior and is scheduled to continue with interior renovations at a later, still-undetermined date.

According to the Washington Post report, the redesigned garden centers on a reflecting pool that has been closed to the public during the work. The overhaul also widens the entryway on the National Mall side and reopens an underground passageway, allowing visitors to enter without crossing Jefferson Drive. The project is intended to make the outdoor galleries easier to reach while reshaping how the space functions as both a sculpture garden and a public gathering area.

The Hirshhorn’s own newsletter says the renewed garden has been developed with architecture-artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and will present 50 percent more artwork from the national collection. It describes the reopened outdoor galleries as a way to tell an expanded story of modern and contemporary art and notes that the space will also support free public arts programming. The museum has been encouraging supporters to join its “Groundbreakers” campaign for the sculpture garden’s revitalization.

The newsletter also identifies ‘Yoshitomo Nara: Sentinels of Stillness’ as the inaugural exhibition for the garden’s new phase, with an invitation-only special preview for insiders listed for Oct. 31, 2026, through Nov. 7, 2027. The museum says the exhibition will help launch what it calls the garden’s “West Lawn era.” Beyond that opening program, the institution highlights the return of a passage that will let visitors move from the underground route up to the plaza and into the museum’s front door.

The renovation comes at a transitional moment for the museum. The revitalization effort has been spearheaded by director Melissa Chiu, who the Washington Post reported will leave the Hirshhorn at the end of this month to become director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Her departure will follow a period in which the museum has advanced several visible changes to its building and grounds.

The museum’s materials frame the sculpture garden as a place where major works from the collection will sit alongside new acquisitions. Among those cited in the newsletter is Raven Halfmoon’s ‘Dancing at Dusk’ (2024), a monumental stone sculpture described there as her first major work in stone. The Hirshhorn also points to recent acquisitions by Mark Grotjahn, Lauren Halsey and others that will appear in the renewed outdoor setting. A free tour titled ‘Basquiat & Inspiration’ is listed for Aug. 14, ahead of the closing of ‘Basquiat × Banksy’ on Sept. 7, while the museum’s Emerging Artists showcase, ‘No Connection. Please Try Again Later.’, is also scheduled separately this summer.