The World’s Most Famous Artists Fêted the Hirshhorn’s 50th Anniversary

To mark the 50th anniversary of Washington, D.C.'s, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 50 of the world’s most acclaimed artists made their way to The Shed to be honored for their contributions. The night saw cocktails and dinner give way to a custom cake that referenced the institution's architecture by Pritzker Prize-winning Gordon Bunshaft. “This year’s gala marks an extraordinary milestone for the Hirshhorn, . ” museum director Melissa Chiu, told Surface. “We celebrated with the largest and most dynamic group of artists in our history.” During the night, the first-ever Hirshhorn Leader in the Arts Award was bestowed upon architect Peter Marino. Jeff Koons led the museum’s roll call, a gala tradition, during which all 50 artist-honorees were thanked. As dinner came to a close, Japanese architect Hiroshi Sugimoto played the harmonica and led the room in a “Happy Birthday” singalong. Notables in attendance included Marina Abramović, Rashid Johnson, KAWS, Ugo Rondinone, Hank Willis Thomas, Doug Aitken, Elmgreen and Dragset, Marilyn Minter, Tyler Mitchell,, Adam Pendleton, Tavares Strachan, and more. Photo credit: courtesy of BFA.