Recognizing 50 Years of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian’s national museum of modern and contemporary art, and one of our most significant legacy projects. Led by Gordon Bunshaft, we created a unique structure for a singular art collection with an open, circular design that intrigues visitors along the National Mall in Washington D.C. Affectionately called a “Brutalist donut,” the building belongs to Washington’s assortment of ambitious concrete architecture of the 1960s and ‘70s that broke away from aesthetic tradition.

Stewarding our legacy for the next 50 years, we are jointly developing a modernization plan for the Museum’s interior and plaza with Selldorf Architects. As the largest campus revitalization in the Hirshhorn’s history, the upgrades will improve the experience of the galleries and public spaces for all visitors and will make the building more responsive to the needs of a contemporary museum environment.