Smithsonian's Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Lest you believe that I am not a fan of modern art--for shame!  This museum was great great fun.  Plus, they let me use my camera!

   
It is a bit like entering a space ship when you first arrive.  

 

  and the art work in the sculpture garden is large and in-your-face.

Circle of Animals/ Zodiac Heads by Ai WeiWei. This artist has been very much in the news this last year--and I think he is in something akin to 'house arrest' in China right now.  But his work is stunning and I hope he can get out from under the 'political thumb' enough to share more of it with the world.

I wondered if this is 'Leo the Lion'.  I sure hope so--I would love it to be my astrological sign.

Maybe is it more like 'the year of the rooster'...

or Bear?

As I entered the museum I had to put on slippers over my shoes!  Now, I knew I was in for something different....

It is called "Neon Rooms" by Carlos Cruz Diez and it was important to the affect that the room stayed pristine to give one the illusion of being suspended in space....

and as you enter that is what you feel.  You can hardly see the edges of the room in the glow and suddenly your equilibrium is challenged.

These pictures were taken through a two-way mirror and on the other side the color is reflected back to  you.

The next room was filled with long blue plastic neon tubes--called "Suprasensorial Installation" by Jesus Rafael Soto.  The tubes go on for quite a ways though I wasn't able to get an angle to show the depth. But once you reached the middle there was a feeling of not knowing which way to go to get out.

This lovely lady stepped inside and modeled for me.

"Long room"--untitled by Dan Flavin

"Head of Sorrow" by Auguste Rodin

  

I have no idea but I thought he was really funny.



"Flowers" by Andy Warhol
(I wonder how long it took him to think of that name)


"Rotating Eyes of the Falling Tree Monkey Face--43.35" by Mark Grotjahn! Now you know,  the name of that painting just popped into my head the instant I saw it. (Do some of these artists munch on psychedelic mushrooms when they name their paintings?)

I had to mention this building--it was really spectacular. and this curved window had a great view of the Mall and...

 

the Capitol.

(Continued below)