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Boldly curving lines and stark concrete dominate this striking architectural photo of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The image centers on the museum’s inner courtyard and iconic fountain—now empty, exposing its deep mechanical structure like the gears of a machine—set within the circular embrace of Gordon Bunshaft’s modernist building.

 

Opened in 1974 and named after financier and art collector Joseph H. Hirshhorn, the museum is known for its radical departure from the neoclassical architecture of the National Mall. Designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the cylindrical building’s clean curves and minimalist windows suggest an almost otherworldly presence—a concrete drum that defies convention. The brutalist aesthetic is unmistakable, yet softened here by the organic circularity of the space.

 

The symmetry in this photo draws the eye inward, emphasizing the sculptural fountain at the center. Radiating ribs in the surrounding stone direct visual flow to the middle, while the upper stories of repeating rectangular windows offer a rigid contrast to the radial lines below. The yellow ā€œWELCOMEā€ banner to the left and the bold ā€œHIRSHHORNā€ text to the right add bursts of color and contemporary branding, anchoring the institution’s identity amid the concrete.

 

Visitors appear through the glass corridor behind the fountain—some pausing, some in motion—offering a scale reference and a reminder that this is a living museum. Their presence breathes life into an otherwise monolithic setting, illustrating the museum’s role not only as a home for modern art, but as a vital public gathering space in the heart of D.C.

 

From the moment it opened, the Hirshhorn Museum has challenged assumptions about what an art museum should be. Its architecture alone is a sculptural work of art—often drawing comparisons to a spacecraft, a fortress, or even a giant doughnut. The building’s shape allows for an uninterrupted gallery loop, with exhibitions wrapping around the perimeter and views periodically opening into the sky-lit courtyard.

 

The sculpture garden below street level further expands the museum’s reach, offering works by artists such as Rodin, Henry Moore, and Yoko Ono. The museum’s curatorial focus on postwar contemporary art makes it one of the premier destinations for avant-garde, boundary-pushing visual expression in the United States.

 

This image captures more than just a moment of architecture—it distills the very ethos of the Hirshhorn: forward-thinking, visually striking, and unapologetically modern. It’s a place where art meets infrastructure, where design becomes the experience, and where Washington’s powerfully traditional architecture gives way to fearless experimentation.

  

Still Life (Natura morta), 1953

Oil on canvas

20.4 x 40.2 cm

The Phillips Collection,

Wasington, D.C.

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Rick Lowe’s Fire #4 - This Time Athens, 2023 is a dynamic, large-scale painting that pulses with vibrant energy and layers of meaning. On view at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., this monumental work captures the viewer’s attention with a dense network of interwoven red, orange, and yellow brushstrokes that build a visual lattice across the canvas.

 

Born from Lowe’s community-focused artistic practice, this piece draws inspiration from his time spent in Athens, Greece, reflecting the city’s urban energy and the complex intersections of history, culture, and contemporary life. The painting is part of Lowe’s ongoing Fires series, which began in response to global social and political upheaval, addressing themes of resilience, transformation, and collective experience.

 

In Fire #4 - This Time Athens, 2023, Lowe employs an abstract language of repeated lines and shapes that resemble a tapestry of marks, forming a dense yet ordered chaos that evokes the textures of cityscapes, the rhythm of everyday life, and the collective human experience. The bold, fiery hues echo the warmth of the Mediterranean sun while hinting at the social tensions that ignite change.

 

Lowe’s use of acrylic paint and his layering technique add depth and complexity to the composition, inviting viewers to navigate the surface and discover hidden pathways of meaning. His work bridges the gap between abstraction and social commentary, engaging audiences in a dialogue about place, community, and identity.

 

As a prominent figure in socially engaged art, Lowe’s painting reflects his dedication to fostering dialogue and understanding through creative practice. Fire #4 - This Time Athens, 2023 is a testament to the power of art to illuminate and transform.

This photograph features ā€œPoppin Jozeā€, a vivid mixed-media work by Brazilian street art legends OSGEMEOS, as exhibited at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. Known for their instantly recognizable yellow-skinned figures, twin brothers Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo infuse their work with a surreal, dreamlike energy that draws from Brazilian culture, hip-hop, graffiti, and personal memory.

 

In Poppin Joze, we meet a stylized family rendered in OSGEMEOS’s trademark style: elongated limbs, small eyes, patterned clothing, and a flat, matte yellow skin tone that’s intended to represent a ā€œneutralā€ humanity. The central figure, Joze, sports a bold blue shirt with ā€œPOPPIN JOZEā€ printed across the chest, surrounded by family members who evoke both intimacy and tension. A baby is cradled at the mother’s hip, a girl picks her nose, and a revolver is playfully (yet ominously) pointed into the frame.

 

Though cartoonish at first glance, the work is rich in emotional and socio-political resonance. This is a domestic scene shaped by urban hardship and resilience — equal parts tenderness, chaos, and coded commentary. Household clutter, scribbled wall drawings, and worn clothing all add to the textured realism. The shelf in the background with bottles and cans, the tired flooring, and the stereo speaker tucked under a foot all speak to lived-in space — layered, imperfect, real.

 

Framed in a vibrant green box and photographed against the Hirshhorn’s distinctive lavender wall during a special exhibition, Poppin Joze reflects the museum’s commitment to showcasing cutting-edge global contemporary art. OSGEMEOS, who began their careers as graffiti writers in SĆ£o Paulo, have since exhibited in major institutions worldwide — and here, their street-inspired visual language translates powerfully to the museum setting.

 

This photo captures the artwork in full color and context — documenting not just the piece itself, but how it breathes within the museum space. It stands at the intersection of street and fine art, personal and political, playful and profound.

Still Life (Natura morta), 1950

Oil on canvas

40.5 x 45.5 cm

Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto,

Rovereto, Italy

Giovanardi Collection

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Still Life (Natura morta), 1950

Oil on Canvas

40.5 x 45.5 cm

Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto,

Rovereto, Italy

Giovanardi Collection

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Still Life (Natura morta), 1954

Oil on canvas

35.6 x 46.4 cm

Smith College of Art,

Northampton, Mass.

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Still Life (Natura morta), 1959

Oil on canvas

30.5 x 35.4 cm

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,

Richmond Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Still Life (Natura morta), 1943

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden,

Smithsonian Institution,

Washington, D.C.

Gift of the Marion L. Ring Estate.

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Landscape With Houses (Peasaggio con case), 1941

Oil on Canvas

33 x 52.5 cm

Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto,

Rovereto, Italy

L. F. Collection

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Still Life (Natura morta), 1960

Oil on Canvas

30 x 40 cm

Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto,

Rovereto, Italy

Giovanardi Collection

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Still Life (Natura morta), 1946

Etching in black on laid paper

National Gallery of Art,

Washington, D.C.

Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

 

Courtyard on via Fondazza (Cortile di via Fondazza, Paesaggio), 1957

Oil on Canvas

54 x 47 cm

Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto,

Giovanardi Collection

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Still Life (Natura morta), 1956

Oil on canvas

40.5 x 35.4 cm

Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto,

Rovereto, Italy

Giovanardi Collection

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Still Life (Natura morta), 1919

Oil on canvas

45 x 59 cm

Private Collection

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

Self-Portrait (Auroritratto), 1924

Oil on Canvas

47 x 42 cm

Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto,

Rovereto, Italy

L. F. Collection

 

Ā© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome

 

Science teacher Lynn Hommeyer and Principal Dr. Marta Palacios of Bruce-Monroe at Parkview.

 

In the classroom

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Art teacher Jeff Wilson reviews the project plans before beginning the installation

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Samantha Tigner, Maddy Harrelson-Periandri, Nia Zekan, and Erin Wall from Kenmore Middle School (above) and Chaos and Order panel. The panel was created with found objects, such as color paint samples, by Kenmore students to explore the concept of visual order and structure.

A student works on releasing an anchor from the ground.

  

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

The finished project at night

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Fabric billowing in the wind

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Measuring and cutting the fabric

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

The finished project

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Tying the fabric to the anchor

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

On the rooftop

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

The finished project at night

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Students tape the strip down

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Students fasten the fabric to the anchor

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Cinderblocks to be used as anchors for the fabric on the roof

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Preparing the fabric for the anchor

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

The outdoor area becomes a jumble of fabric, lights and anchors.

  

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

 

Securing the fabric

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Unexpected wind gusts prevent the fabric from being tied down

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Students working together to get the fabric and anchor to the roof

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Exhibition Review - Rob Pruitt:' Therapy Paintings' Massimo De Carlo, London till 30th Jan 2016.

  

Pruitt's ink scores,

dipped in feline panic,

rub ancient bruises into bloom

that bleed together

into a strip-tease.- Drenched Co

  

Comment: "Through his doodles, Mr Pruitt keeps a mental block in his head occupied, which lets him talk freely about himself during therapy. And this block, from the nature of Pruitt's drawings, must be guided by some incarnation of a maligned cat or panda, trying to scratch its way in or out of Pruitt's head. Here, I believe, Pruitt is once again ridiculing and celebrating through his pretty exhibitions with his hatchet buried squarely where his art lives. I loved the cats best! " - FaSa

  

See www.massimodecarlo.com/exhibitions/view/11993

See also www.woundsthatbind.com/2016/01/exhibition-review-rob-prui...

See also www.soaked.space/2016/01/exhibition-review-rob-pruitt-the...

  

Caption: Image above: Installation view Rob Pruitt© Massimo De Carlo, London 2016 Photo: Todd-White Art Photography

Image courtesy of the artist and Massimo De Carlo, London.

We take great care not to harm the image in any way. And these views, they are ours only and not those of the gallery or artist.

  

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Kenmore Teacher Shauna Dyer assists in cleanup.

  

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Oscar Ascencio from Bruce Monroe thanks The Phillips Collection at the conclusion of the program.

 

Anchors on the rooftop

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

CAConrad, Mel Nichols, and Tony Torn. Annabel Daou drawing on WALL on the background.

Preparing to take the fabric to the roof

 

Kenmore Middle School

Arlington, VA

The Phillips Collection, Mentor Teacher Program

November 2008

Annabel Daou practices extreme wall drawing with Lee Ann Brown's set of collaborative renga poems.

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