In Assocation with the Smithsonian Institution
A public sculpture park in Solomons, Maryland
Works from the Hirshhorn Museum
You may also want to check out our Permanent Collection, Works on Loan, and the Women's Walk.
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Marseille 1960 (cast 1963) Bronze Cèsar Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966 |
Perhaps because of an early life spent in the poverty of an Italian neighborhood in Marseilles, César felt more at home in the industrial setting of a scrap yard than in an artist's studio. Primarily concerned with abstract forms, he turned to cheap scrap metal to create his often provocative art. The shape of Marseille, named for the seaport town where he was born, is suggestive of the sail of a boat in the harbor. Tiny shells and other coastal debris appear imbedded in the heart of the sail. The original Marseille, in the collection of the Hirshhorn, consists of numerous pieces of welded scrap metal. This bronze was made from a mold of the original and bears the evidence of its ancestry of welded steel construction.
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Standing Nude Nelli Bar Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966
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After Iyengar Robert Engman Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1979 |
Named after the Indian Yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar, the sculpture has been carefully placed at the intersection of two of the Garden’s long grassy hallways. Visitors have commented that the work appears to be an optical puzzle because from each new vantage point new shapes appear. Its wonderfully dynamic geometric form twists together circles and a square to create an Escher-like quality to the bronze.
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 Photo: Peter Harholdt |
Hand Sorel Etrog Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1980 |
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The Bird, Uranus II Etienne Hajdu Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966 |
Of Hungarian descent, Hajdu moved to Paris in 1927, where he studied classical sculpture and painting. He quickly developed an interest in contemporary art and launched himself into the study of figurative and abstract sculpture. Self taught, he worked with a variety of materials including slate, aluminum, copper, bronze, marble and onyx. He continued to draw which allowed him the opportunity to experiment with light and space. The Bird, an excellent example of his work, demonstrates the smooth and elegant form of his sculptures. The shape of the piece and the web-like pattern of lines suggest a creature poised to take flight.
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 Photo: Peter Harholdt |
Curved Form: Bryher II Dame Barbara Hepworth Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, The Joseph H. Hirschhorn Bequest, 1981
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Open Suspense Menashe Kadishman Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972 |
The top two elements of this work, a rectangle and a half ring, seem gently balanced on top, in opposition to its massive cor-ten steel construction. Looking down the hallway from Open Suspense, the visitor is afforded a spectacular view of After Iyengar. |
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Monumental Standing Cardinal Giacomo Manzu Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966 |
Manzu grew up immersed in the imagery and patriarchy of Italian Catholicism which is reflected in much of his art. Beginning in the late 1930s and continuing for several decades, he produced numerous works featuring standing and seated cardinals. Monumental Standing Cardinal is not intended to portray a specific person, but rather to convey the strength and authority of the church and its centuries long history. The sculpture is classic in its subject and posture, yet possesses a modern approach to the expression. Note the curious transformation from the wood-like base to the metal sculpture. Set amidst the tall trees of Annmarie Garden, the Cardinal is part of nature's cathedral. |
 Photo: Peter Harholdt |
Girl With Braids Gerhard Marcks Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966 |
 Photo: Peter Harholdt |
Greenberg Variations Jules Olitski Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Museum Purchase 1977 |
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Big Diamond Hanger Joel Perlman Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1979
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 Photo: Peter Harholdt |
The Wind: Stainless Steel Monument Attilio Pierelli Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joesph H. Hirshhorn, 1980 |
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Three Red Lines George Rickey Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of the artist through the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Foundation, 1972 |
Raised in Scotland, Rickey's early training was in drawing and painting. Intrigued by movement from early childhood, his World War II military service put him to work as a mechanic where he cultivated his interest in construction and movement. After the war Rickey began to explore constructivist art, an approach that required construction of a piece rather than casting or carving. Influenced by the work of Alexander Calder, by the 1940s Rickey was constructing kinetic or moving art. Many of his creations, like Three Red Lines, though extraordinary in their size, move delicately with the slightest of breezes. His large constructions challenge the viewer to consider not only the shape of the piece, but the random movements caused by air currents and the pull of gravity. Three Red Lines was strong enough to withstand the hurricane force winds of Isabel in 2003, yet has proven delicate enough to surprise observers with its graceful and unpredictable movements. Rickey taught his whole life and wrote extensively on the subject of constructivism. He was creating and exploring new ideas in art until his death in 2003 at the age of ninety-five. His pieces can be found in many public sites across the United States, Europe, and Japan.
"These pieces with long blades are really just an exploitation of the simplest means I could find at the time for showing a kind of ordered and related set of movements." --George Rickey, Smithsonian Archives of American Art |
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Circular Reflection Yehiel Shemi Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1980 |
Shemi created his first pieces in stone and wood while living on a kibbutz in Israel. Employed as a construction worker on the kibbutz, he began to create abstract works using industrial tools and scrap materials. In Circular Reflection, a fine example of his work, the smaller of the two round elements was cut from the larger, resulting in a self-reflective component to the piece. The large, angled armature lends balance and stability to the overall structure. As the structure is viewed from different vantage points, interesting shadows and shapes appear and disappear, like the changing reflection of a moving object. |
 Photo: Peter Harholdt |
Torso Frederick Charles Shrady Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1980 |
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Six Number Two Kenneth Snelson Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1980 |
Snelson relies on the opposing forces of tension and compression, a relationship he terms "tensegrity," to lend stability and strength to his creations. Fascinated by the structure of weaving patterns and the structure of the atom, his work reflects his appreciation for the complex network of forces that comprise the universe. Six Number Two, like his other pieces appears rather delicate, but is surprisingly strong. Snelson's work is noted for this apparent contradiction; they appear precarious, yet the use of modern materials coupled with his precise designs results in an elegantly sturdy structure.
"The wires and metal tubes are my keyboard, on which I play my three-dimensional spatial game. It's like playing a violin." - Kenneth Snelson |
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Resting Paul Suttman Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972
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Daimaru X Michael Todd Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, by exchange from Michael Todd, Los Angeles, January 15, 1980 |
Africa
Cor-ten Steel Isaac Witkin Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden,
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Shembo James Wolfe Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Purchased from James Wolfe, New York, 1984
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Big Skull II Jack Zajac Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H Hirshhorn, 1966 |
 Photo: Peter Harholdt |
Seated Woman Francisco Zúñiga Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, The Joseph H. Hirshhorn Bequest, 1981 |
 Photo: Peter Harholdt |
Squatting Woman with Shawl Francisco Zúñiga Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of José Tasende, 1976 |
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Photo: Peter Harholdt