Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Reopens With More Room
The garden's wider entrance and expanded gathering areas are open now on the National Mall, with nearly 60 sculptures on view.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Fine Art
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Visitors to the National Mall now have a rebuilt Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden after a three-year revitalization, with nearly 60 sculptures across 1.3 acres. The Hirshhorn Museum reopened the garden on November 10, 2026.
Why it matters
For Washingtonians who walk the Mall, the garden is a free, everyday place to see contemporary sculpture, and the expanded gathering areas and larger reflecting pool change how the space works for people who come to sit, meet and linger. The reopening marks the end of a long closure of one of the city's quieter art spots.
The reopened garden covers 1.3 acres on the National Mall and holds nearly 60 sculptures, with 30,000 new plants and trees added during the three-year project. The source does not say what the renovation cost or how many visitors the garden draws.
The players
Hirshhorn Museum
The Smithsonian museum on the National Mall that operates the Sculpture Garden.
Hiroshi Sugimoto
The artist who designed the garden's renovation.
The details
The Hirshhorn Museum reopened its Sculpture Garden on November 10, 2026, after a three-year revitalization designed by Hiroshi Sugimoto. The transformed garden has a wider, more welcoming entrance, expanded gathering areas and a larger reflecting pool, and it blends the garden's historic character with new additions. A dedicated space now holds large-scale contemporary works by living artists, and the museum says the garden can host art, performances and community events.
Timeline
Revitalization of the Sculpture Garden ran for three years before reopening on November 10, 2026.
The District View
The Hirshhorn sits among the Smithsonian museums that make the National Mall a free, public art destination for Washingtonians and visitors alike. The revitalized garden extends that role by adding space for gathering and for work by living artists.
If you walk the Mall, the garden is now open with wider entrances and more places to sit and gather, so you can plan a visit around the new layout. The garden is free to enter, and its space for performances and community events may bring new programming to check on.
The takeaway
The Sculpture Garden is open again, with a space for large-scale work by living artists. Check the Hirshhorn's schedule before a visit to see whether performances or community events are on the calendar.
Further reading
For more on the city's museum scene, browse Fine Art coverage across Washington.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WJLA.
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