The DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is pleased to recognize the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Southwest Washington as the March 2014 One City Location of the Month. With its hollow-centered, elevated cylinder concept and spacecraft like structure, the United States' museum of contemporary and modern art provides a striking contrast to the other landmarks, museums and memorials that adorn the nation’s capital. The building itself is as much a work of art as the collections it houses and is recognized as one of the most cinematically appealing structures on the National Mall.
Located exactly halfway between the Washington Monument and the US Capitol, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is one of the "big five" modern art museums in the U.S. and is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The cylinder shaped building sits above nearly four acres of landscaped grounds for sculpture on four massive legs and surrounds a central courtyard with a recessed garden and large fountain. Curved galleries expand the visitor’s view of the art collection and an entire wall of windows opens the interior and focuses on the fountain.
The Hirshhorn was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Gordon Bunshaft and was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. The current collection focuses on art made during the last 50 years including the collections of notable artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Mary Cassatt. The sculpture garden features works by artists including Auguste Rodin, David Smith and Alexander Calder. The museum boasts approximately 11,500 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photographs, collages, and decorative art objects.
In 2011, the DC Film Office launched One City Location of the Month to bring attention to the wide range of varied, cinematically compelling locations that are available to film and television productions. Former One City Location of the Month recipients include the Anacostia Arts Center in Southeast, the Fort Lincoln neighborhood in Northeast, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Southwest, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rock Creek Parish in Northwest.
To learn more about The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and to view photos, please visit the One City Location of the Month feature on our web site. If you are interested in using the Hirshhorn for a future filming location, please contact us at [email protected].