Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum located in Washington, DC on the National Mall  3  and designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution 21. Its collection focuses on contemporary and modern art. Outside the museum is a sculpture garden, featuring works by artists including Auguste Rodin and Alexander Calder.

The building itself is as much of an attraction as anything inside, likened by many to a large spacecraft parked on the National Mall  3 . The building is essentially an open cylinder elevated by four massive "legs", with a large fountain occupying the central courtyard. The Smithsonian staff reportedly told Gordon Bunshaft, prior to designing the building, that if it did not provide a striking contrast to everything else in the city, then it would be unfit for housing a modern art collection.