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
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