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The cylindrical concrete exterior of the Hirshhorn Museum, raised on four piers, on the National Mall in Washington, DC

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

DesignArtOpens 10amFreeL'Enfant Plaza (Metro — Green, Yellow, Orange and Blue lines; 7th & Maryland Ave exit)

Opened in 1974 around industrialist Joseph H. Hirshhorn's gift of some 6,000 works, the Hirshhorn is the Smithsonian's museum of modern and contemporary art. Gordon Bunshaft's building is an open concrete cylinder 231 feet across, raised on four massive piers above a fountain courtyard, with three floors of galleries wrapped in concentric rings. The collection runs from Rodin, Brancusi, Matisse and Hopper through Pollock, Rothko and de Kooning to living artists, shown alongside ambitious temporary exhibitions and permanently installed commissions by Mark Bradford, Barbara Kruger and Laurie Anderson. The adjacent Sculpture Garden has been closed since 2023 for a Hiroshi Sugimoto-designed revitalization and is announced to reopen on 31 October 2026.

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Installation view of Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960

Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960

A century of upheaval across the second-floor outer ring: hundreds of works by Bacon, Dubuffet, Krasner, Lawrence, O'Keeffe and Pollock, rotated periodically and threaded with contemporary responses.

Now showing22 Mar 2024 – 1 NovFree
Installation view of Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen at the Hirshhorn Museum

Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen

Pendleton's first solo show in Washington, DC fills the second-floor inner ring with new and recent paintings plus a single-channel video, staged for the museum's circular galleries.

Now showing4 Apr 2025 – 3 Jan 2027Free
Sam Gilliam draped canvas installation from Big Things for Big Rooms at the Hirshhorn

Big Things for Big Rooms

Ten room-swallowing installations trace immersive art from the late 1960s on — Flavin, Gilliam, Irwin, Pape and Long, then Chan, Eliasson, Finch, Johnson and Rottenberg. Five shown here for the first time.

Now showing20 Dec 2025 – 4 Jul 2027Free
Entrance to Light Is a Plastic Medium at the Hirshhorn: a wall-size photograph of Carlotta Corpron at work beside green title walls

Light Is a Plastic Medium: The Photography of Carlotta Corpron

Six bodies of work made in Texas between the late 1930s and early 1950s by the abstract photographer and teacher Carlotta Corpron, drawn from a recent gift of 48 prints plus loans.

Now showing16 Oct – 14 Mar 2027Free

Yoshitomo Nara: Sentinels of Stillness

Three towering white aluminium heads by Yoshitomo Nara, enlarged from small 2021 clay heads, open the revitalized Sculpture Garden's West Lawn series.

Now showing31 Oct – 7 Nov 2027Free

Permanent Collections

Mark Bradford's Pickett's Charge wrapping the curved third-floor gallery wall at the Hirshhorn

Mark Bradford: Pickett's Charge

Eight abstract paintings running nearly 400 feet around the third-floor inner ring, torn and scraped out of a 19th-century Gettysburg cyclorama. On view since 2017.

Permanent collectionFree
The Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in spring, photographed before the revitalization works began

Sculpture Garden and Plaza

Closed since 2023 for a Hiroshi Sugimoto-designed revitalization; the museum announces reopening on 31 October 2026 with around 60 works, up from roughly 40. The Plaza stays open daily.

Permanent collectionFree
Barbara Kruger's Belief+Doubt vinyl text installation on the escalator and walls of the Hirshhorn's lower lobby

Barbara Kruger: Belief+Doubt

Kruger wraps the Lower Level lobby, bookstore, floor and escalator sides in text-printed vinyl — a hall of voices arguing about democracy, power and belief. Installed 2012.

Permanent collectionFree
Laurie Anderson's Four Talks, a hand-painted room-scale installation with sculptures at the Hirshhorn

Laurie Anderson: Four Talks

Anderson painted this room-sized installation freehand on site over two weeks in 2021. A raven, a parrot, a canoe and a shelf sit at its centre, each carrying a story. Second-floor outer ring.

Permanent collectionFree

Plan Your Visit

Getting there

Independence Ave SW and 7th St SW, Washington, DC 20560, United States

Nearest station: L'Enfant Plaza (Metro — Green, Yellow, Orange and Blue lines; 7th & Maryland Ave exit), Smithsonian (Metro) and Federal Center SW (Metro)

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Hours

Mon12:00–17:30
Tue10:00–17:30
Wed10:00–17:30
Thu10:00–17:30
Fri10:00–17:30
SatToday10:00–17:30
Sun10:00–17:30

Admission

Free

Admission is walk-up and always free; passes are not required.

Accessibility

The Hirshhorn's campus, exhibitions and public programs are accessible. L'Enfant Plaza Metro has elevator access to street level at the 7th & Maryland Avenue exit.

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Visitor Information

Is Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden free to visit?
Yes, general admission to Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is free. Admission is walk-up and always free; passes are not required.. Some special exhibitions may charge a separate ticket, so check the museum's website before visiting.
What are the opening hours of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden?
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is open Monday noon–5:30pm; Tuesday–Sunday 10am–5:30pm. Closed Friday 30 October 2026 and 25 December. The revitalized Sculpture Garden reopens Saturday 31 October 2026; the outdoor Plaza is open daily 10am–5:30pm.. Holiday hours can vary, so check the museum's website before you go.
Where is Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden?
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is located at Independence Ave SW and 7th St SW, Washington, DC 20560, United States, in the National Mall area of Washington, DC. The nearest stations are L'Enfant Plaza (Metro — Green, Yellow, Orange and Blue lines; 7th & Maryland Ave exit), Smithsonian (Metro) and Federal Center SW (Metro).
What can I see at Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden?
The Smithsonian's modern and contemporary art museum — a hovering concrete drum on the National Mall, free to all. Current highlights include Mark Bradford: Pickett's Charge, Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960 and Adam Pendleton: Love, Queen.
Do I need to book Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in advance?
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is free to enter and most days you can walk in. Admission is walk-up and always free; passes are not required.. For special exhibitions, weekends, and school holidays, booking a timed slot can help you skip queues. Check the museum's website for current requirements.
When is the best time to visit Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden?
Weekday mornings shortly after opening are typically the quietest, especially mid-week. Late afternoons can also be calmer. Weekends, school holidays, and the lunch rush are the busiest periods.
Is Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden accessible?
The Hirshhorn's campus, exhibitions and public programs are accessible. L'Enfant Plaza Metro has elevator access to street level at the 7th & Maryland Avenue exit.

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