WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has announced “50 for 50,” a collection-sharing partnership with Art Bridges Foundation starting in 2026. The program will place significant American artworks from the Hirshhorn collection in art museums in all 50 states and Puerto Rico as three- to five-year loans. “50 for 50” is the largest lending project ever undertaken by an American museum, and together the Hirshhorn and Art Bridges will undertake the largest number of artwork loans, with the widest geographic reach, for both institutions to date.
“‘50 for 50’ is a new model for the Hirshhorn’s touring exhibitions, and its reach fulfills our mission as the national museum of modern and contemporary art by being present in every state through long-term loans,” said Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu. “We are grateful for Art Bridges Foundation’s logistical and strategic support, and we are proud to launch this project in conjunction with America’s 250th anniversary.”
Anne Kraybill, CEO of Art Bridges, concurs: “As our largest loan project to date, ‘50 for 50’ marks a significant step in Art Bridges’ work to ensure that museums across the country have access to the full breadth of American art. Through this historic collaboration with the Hirshhorn, many audiences will encounter these important works of art in their own communities for the first time. We’re excited for the ways these partnerships will shape conversations as we head into this anniversary year.”
“50 for 50” emerged from a vision plan, drafted by Museum leadership and staff after the pandemic, that focused on expanding the Hirshhorn’s touring exhibition program into more US communities, including those underserved by access to modern and contemporary art. The project was also motivated by the Hirshhorn’s traveling exhibition “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors,” which broke attendance records across North America in 2017 and 2018 and inspired a legacy show currently on view at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. “The success of those two exhibitions revealed the potential of expanding loans from our permanent collection,” said Chiu. “Furthermore, the Art Bridges initiative aligns with Studio Hirshhorn, the Museum’s video series, which demystifies art-making by offering viewers behind-the-scenes access to artists and collection experts.”
The loans highlight the Hirshhorn’s ever-expanding collection, rooted in Mr. Hirshhorn’s original gifts to the nation by placing artworks by the likes of Alexander Calder, Georgia O’Keeffe, Christian Marclay, Joan Mitchell, John Singer Sargent, Alma Thomas and Lawrence Weiner in museums across the nation.
The loans will be selected from the Hirshhorn’s permanent collection of 13,000 modern and contemporary artworks in all its variegated forms. In 2025, for example, the Hirshhorn acquired more than 50 artworks to mark its 50th anniversary, including 18 gelatin silver photographs from Danny Lyon’s The Bikeriders folio; Interior, an 11-foot mixed-media painting by Mickalene Thomas; and High Tide, a recent abstract landscape by Sarah Sze.
Since opening in 1974, the Hirshhorn has evolved from a museum of modern art into a leading institution for both modern and contemporary global art. Its permanent collection extends from the late 19th century to today and includes paintings, sculptures, photographs, mixed-media installations, works on paper and new-media works. The Hirshhorn also holds one of the most comprehensive collections of modern sculpture in the world, some of which will be showcased when its revitalized Sculpture Garden opens in 2026.
