“50 for 50,” a Partnership With Art Bridges Foundation, Will Share the Hirshhorn Collection With Museums in 50 States and Puerto Rico
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.”
“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,” said Anne Kraybill, CEO of Art Bridges. “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 U.S. 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,” Chiu said. “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 Joseph H. Hirshhorn’s foundational 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.
About the Hirshhorn
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time—free to all. The Hirshhorn Museum is open Mondays noon–5:30 p.m. and Tuesdays–Sundays 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (except Dec. 25). For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Art Bridges Foundation
Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. Founded in 2017, Art Bridges creates and supports projects that share works of American art with communities across the United States and its territories. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 300 museums—impacting 25 million people nationwide—to provide financial and strategic support for exhibitions, collection loans and programs designed to educate, inspire and deepen engagement with local communities. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. For more information, visit artbridgesfoundation.org.