Release Date: May 17, 1999

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Fact Sheet

Sponsor: National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden is given to the nation by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

Location: On the National Mall at 7th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. (National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden is bounded by Constitution Avenue and Madison Drive and 7th and 9th Streets, N.W.)

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed on December 25 and January 1; admission is free

Extended Summer Hours
(Memorial Day through Labor Day):
Monday-Thursday, Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Access: 6 Public Entrances to the Sculpture Garden

One entrance on Constitution Avenue at 9th Street, N.W.

Three entrances on 7th Street, N.W., one directly across from the Gallery's West Building entrance

Two entrances on the National Mall between 7th and 9th Streets, N.W.

Sculpture: Seventeen major works of 20th-century sculpture are on view, including important new acquisitions by Louise Bourgeois, Mark di Suvero, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, and Tony Smith; ten new acquisitions are presented, along with six works from the permanent collection, and one work on loan from the Calder Foundation

The Sculpture Garden is designed to provide flexible spaces to accommodate the Gallery's growing collection of 20th-century sculpture, as well as works on loan

Fountain and Ice Skating: The reflecting pool and fountain refresh visitors from spring through fall. The ice skating rink will be available during the winter; details will be announced at a future date

Educational Programs, Activities, and Materials

Programs: Information guides with descriptions and locations of each sculpture are available at the main 7th Street entrance of the Sculpture Garden and at all art information desks

The Gallery's Web site presents a special feature to coincide with the Sculpture Garden opening that includes a chronology, photographic essay, and panoramic views of the garden site before and after construction

West Building Renovation: The ground floor of the West Building will be opened up along the central spine to enable visitors to have a clear vista from the 4th Street entrance of the West Building to the Sculpture Garden

A component is the construction of a new central sculpture gallery, to be installed in conjunction with the Sculpture Garden; it will include a marble floor, marble clad piers, cast plaster cornice, plaster cove ceiling, and cove lighting all architectural details in keeping with the neoclassical style of John Russell Pope, the architect of the West Building

Special Material: One of the notable materials used in the construction of the Sculpture Garden is Tennessee pink marble, which was obtained from the same quarries used in the construction of both the Gallery's West and East Buildings. In the garden's design, the Tennessee pink marble was used for the gateway plinths that mark the public entrances, the stone benches surrounding the fountain and ice rink, the coping surrounding the fountain and ice rink, and the terrace seatwalls adjacent to the pavilion

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov. The Gallery is now on Facebook—become a fan at www.facebook.com/NationalGalleryofArt.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:

Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov

If you are a member of the press and would like to be added to our press list, click here.