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.
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Standing Nude
Date unknown
Bronze
Nelli Bar American, b. Cologne, Germany, 1904 - 2001
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966
After Iyengar
1978
Bronze
Robert Engman American, b. Pennsylvania 1927
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.
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Hand
ca. 1959-1964
Bronze
Sorel Etrog Canadian, b. Jassy, Romania, 1933
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1980
The Bird, Uranus II
1957
Bronze
Etienne Hajdu French, b. Romania, 1907-1996
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.
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Curved Form: Bryher II
1961
Bronze
Dame Barbara Hepworth British, b. Wakefield, England, 1903-1975
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, The Joseph H. Hirschhorn Bequest, 1981
Open Suspense
1968
Cor-ten steel
Menashe Kadishman Israeli, b. Tel Aviv, 1932
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.
Monumental Standing Cardinal
1958
Bronze
Giacomo Manzu Italian, b. Bergamo, 1908-1991
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
1950
Bronze
Gerhard Marcks German, b. Berlin, 1889-1981
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Greenberg Variations
1974
Cor-ten Steel
Jules Olitski American, b. Snovsk, Russia, 1922
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Museum Purchase 1977
Big Diamond Hanger
1982
Steel
Joel Perlman American, b. New York City, 1943
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1979
Photo: Peter Harholdt
The Wind: Stainless Steel Monument
1966
Stainless Steel
Attilio Pierelli
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joesph H. Hirshhorn, 1980
Three Red Lines
1966
Painted stainless steel
George Rickey American, b. South Bend, Indiana, 1907-2002
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
Circular Reflection
1972
Painted steel
Yehiel Shemi Israel, b. Haifa, 1922
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
Date unknown
Bronze
Frederick Charles Shrady American, b. Eastview, New York, 1907 - 1990
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1980
Six Number Two
1967
Stainless steel with wire cable
Kenneth Snelson American, b. Pendleton, Oregon, 1927
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
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Resting 1965
Bronze
Paul Suttman American, b. Enid, Oklahoma, 1933-1993
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972
Daimaru X
1978
Steel
Michael Todd American, b. Omaha, Nebraska, 1935
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,
Smithsonian Institution
Shembo
1983
Welded steel
James Wolfe American, b. New York City, 1944
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Purchased from James Wolfe, New York, 1984
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Big Skull II
Bronze
Jack Zajac American, b. Youngstown, Ohio 1929
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph H Hirshhorn, 1966
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Seated Woman
1975
Bronze
Francisco Zúñiga Mexican, b. San Jose, Costa Rica, 1913 - 1998
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, The Joseph H. Hirshhorn Bequest, 1981
Photo: Peter Harholdt
Squatting Woman with Shawl
1971
Bronze
Francisco Zúñiga Mexican, b. San Jose, Costa Rica, 1913 - 1998
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of José Tasende, 1976
Stainless Stealer 1966
stainless steel & aluminum
Alexander Calder American, b. Lawton, Pennsylvania, 1898-1976
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph Hirshhorn, 1972
Dragan
1973-1974
laminated acrylic
Vasa Velizar Michich American, b. Yugoslavia
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Frederick R. Weisman, Beverly Hills, CA, 1974
Traveler's Column 1962
Bronze
Arnoldo Pomodoro
Italian, b. Marciano, 1926
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Joseph Hirshhorn, 1966
