The National Mall in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 20, 2017
1. Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden Marker
First opened in 1974, this garden displays sculptures from Europe and North America dating from the 1880s to the present. More than 400,000 people visit this garden each year. So while we invite you to look, relax, study, stroll, sketch, and take photographs, we ask that you pleas do not touch the sculptures.
Sculptures are more fragile than most people realize. Steel and other metal works are made from several pieces welded together. These connections can weaken and break when weight is applied. Bronze sculptures are actually hollow casts with thin surfaces that are easily dented or scratched. In addition, all outdoor sculptures suffer from urban air pollution, so we protect them with a delicate coating of clear wax. But this invisible protectant erodes when touched, even lightly, leaving that part of the piece exposed to the elements. Also, fingernails and jewelry may cause tiny scratches that can never be fixed. For these reasons, climbing on, sitting on, or leaning against any sculpture is not permitted.
Please help preserve these remarkable artworks for future generations.
Erected by Smithsonian Institution.
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.
Location. 38° 53.329′ N, 77° 1.392′ W. Marker is in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in The National Mall. It can be reached from Jefferson Drive Southwest west of 7th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Washington DC 20565, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden (a few steps from this marker); Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Plaza (within shouting distance of this marker); For Gordon Bunshaft, 2006, fabricated 2007-2008
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 20, 2017
2. Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Pumpkin, 2016 (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Yoko Ono (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 20, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 253 times since then and 12 times this year. Last updated on February 11, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 20, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
