After a four-year renovation, the Hirshhorn’s popular sculpture garden reopens on October 31. The space has been reimagined by Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, with 60 artworks along with expanded green spaces and an area dedicated to rotating exhibitions. The garden isn’t just a place to show off sculptures but also offers its own aesthetic experience, with hand-hewn stone walls and thoughtful landscaping. What will be on view? Fan favorites from the previous garden will remain, along with a host of new works. Here’s a preview of a few pieces that haven’t been seen previously—along with a look at how one of the museum’s most famous artworks is being displayed differently.
A New Way to Appreciate a Famous Rodin
A New Way to Appreciate a Famous Rodin
One of the original bronze casts of Auguste Rodin’s “The Burghers of Calais” has lived outdoors at the sculpture garden since the 1970s. With the renovation, it’s been moved to its own stone-walled “room,” letting viewers appreciate the six burghers at eye level. You can sit on a bench or walk around the artwork to experience its details from every angle—as Rodin intended.
A Colorful Creature
A Colorful Creature
Japanese artist Izumi Kato’s 2026 sculpture employs painted pops of color to create an otherworldly creature. It uses stone collected from a quarry in Kato’s home country.
A Sculpture to Dive Into
A Sculpture to Dive Into
This new piece by the Berlin duo Elmgreen & Dragset, titled “Eight,” is meant to evoke a swimming pool from above and is the latest installation in a playful series. You can’t jump in, obviously, but you can swim in the work’s lacquered cyan smoothness.
A Ceramic Ode to a Dance
A Ceramic Ode to a Dance
Inspired by the ceramic practices of Oklahoma’s Caddo Nation, Raven Halfmoon is known for molding clay into large figures. Her 2024 sculpture “Dancing at Dusk” evokes aspects of the Caddo turkey dance—a pre-sunset commemoration performed by women.
Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.
