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These Colorful Contemporary Artworks Just Joined the Hirshhorn Museum as the D.C. Landmark Celebrated Its 50th Anniversary
Key takeaways
- Christian Thorsberg | Daily Correspondent
- An act of Congress established the museum in 1966, and it opened in 1974 in a building designed by Gordon Bunshaft to serve as “a large piece of functional sculpture” floating above a garden of outdoor artworks.
- Many of the museum’s new acquisitions were made possible through gifts in honor of the big birthday.
Christian Thorsberg | Daily Correspondent
Add as preferred source Interior: Zebra with Two Chairs and Funky Fur, Mickalene Thomas, 2012 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin / shoot Art The Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden announced last week that it acquired more than 300 pieces of modern and contemporary art in 2025, growing its permanent collection of more than 13,000 items in conjunction with the celebration of its 50th anniversary.
An act of Congress established the museum in 1966, and it opened in 1974 in a building designed by Gordon Bunshaft to serve as “a large piece of functional sculpture” floating above a garden of outdoor artworks. During the museum’s first six months, 1 million visitors saw the inaugural show of 850 works.