The National Mall in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

For Gordon Bunshaft, 2006, fabricated 2007-2008

Dan Graham, American, b. Urbana, Illinois, 1942

— Two-way mirror, stainless steel, wood and stone —

For Gordon Bunshaft, 2006, fabricated 2007-2008 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 24, 2021

1. For Gordon Bunshaft, 2006, fabricated 2007-2008 Marker

Inscription. Since the 1970s, Dan Graham has explored notions of space and perception, creating installations and sculptures that critique modernist suburban architecture and encourage audience participation. For Gordon Bunshaft, a site-specific "pavilion" created in honor of the architect of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, contains various references to the Museum itself. The curved glass wall echoes the drum-shaped building, and the wooden lattice recalls the natural materials used in traditional Japanese architecture while also echoing the Japanese influences that Bunshaft drew upon while designing the sunken Garden. The gridded square motif within the lattice is a direct reference to Graham's friendship with the Minimalist artist Sol LeWitt, whose work was on view in the gallery overlooking the Garden at the time Graham conceived of the pavilion. Engaging with the work is an experience that brings to mind notions of inside/outside, public/private, suburban/urban, and the natural and the human-made. We invite you to view the work from the outside and to enter the space as well.

Erected by Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian

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Institution.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music.

Location. 38° 53.338′ N, 77° 1.372′ W. Marker is in Southwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in The National Mall. It is on Jefferson Drive Southwest just west of 7th Street Southwest, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 765 Jefferson Dr SW, Washington DC 20591, 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 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: We Come in Peace, 2018 (a few steps from this marker); Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden

<i>For Gordon Bunshaft</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 24, 2021

2. For Gordon Bunshaft

The marker stands to the east of the exhibit.

(within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Yoko Ono (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); Monarchs on the Move (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to the Hirshhorn Museum's Plaza (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Southwest Washington.

Other markers no longer nearby. Yoko Ono (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Pumpkin, 2016 (was a few steps from 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 October 24, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 271 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 24, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.