Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Reopens After Revitalization

The renovated garden on the National Mall reopens after a three-year overhaul with nearly 60 sculptures and new plantings.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Fine Art

Wide view of a long reflecting pool and bronze sculptures set among green lawns, with a round concrete museum building rising behind them under soft daylight. — The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum reopened its Sculpture Garden on the National Mall this week after a three-year, multimillion-dollar renovation. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden has reopened following a three-year revitalization. The transformed 1.3-acre garden on the National Mall features nearly 60 sculptures, expanded gathering areas and a larger reflecting pool.

Why it matters

The renovation expands public space for art, performances and community events in the heart of Washington. It also adds a dedicated area for large-scale contemporary works by living artists.

The 1.3-acre garden holds nearly 60 sculptures, and the renovation added 30,000 new plants and trees over a three-year project. The source does not report the total cost of the work.

The players

Hirshhorn Museum

The Hirshhorn Museum is the Smithsonian Institution's museum of modern and contemporary art on the National Mall in Washington.

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese artist known for his photography, architecture and garden design work.

The details

The renovation was designed by Hiroshi Sugimoto and blends the garden's historic character with new additions. The project features a wider, more welcoming entrance and a larger reflecting pool.

November 10, 2026: The Sculpture Garden reopens after a three-year revitalization.

Legacy Context

The renovation returns the garden to its role as a public showcase for sculpture on the National Mall, first established when the Hirshhorn opened in 1974. It extends that tradition by adding space for large-scale works by living artists.

Visitors can now enter the Sculpture Garden through a wider, more welcoming entrance on the National Mall. The expanded gathering areas and larger reflecting pool give the public more room to view works and attend events on site.

The takeaway

The Sculpture Garden's reopening gives Washington visitors a larger, greener public space to encounter modern and contemporary sculpture at no added cost to the wider National Mall. Its new area for living artists' large-scale works signals continued space for current art in the capital.