National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

House I, 1996/1998, Roy Lichtenstein, fabricated and painted aluminum.

Since Washington's been in the news a little bit lately, it's as good a time as any to show off some of the garden sculptures we saw when we were visiting last spring. We're planning on another trip to Washington in April this year and will have more time to get out and about and see more than just the area around the Mall. Although you could spend a week there and not see everything.

Here's a quick romp through the 6.1-acre National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. It contains native American species of trees, flowering trees, shrubs, ground covers and perennials. It has a fountain, used for skating in winter, and walking and seating areas. Everything's free–except the cafe.


Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, 1999, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, stainless steel and cement.

Would current school kids even have the faintest notion of what a typewriter eraser looks like? My daughter had no clue. I suppose if you're 35 or older you'd "get" it.




Thinker on a Rock, 1997, Barry Flanagan, cast bronze.

I'm trying to keep rabbits OUT of my garden. Beats a gnome though.



Stele II, 1973, Ellsworth Kelly, one-inch weathering steel.

This is supposedly loosely based on a French kilometer marker. They have big kilometers over there.



Cluster of Four Cubes, 1992, George Rickey, stainless steel.

A cubist's tree? This is a kinetic sculpture. It moves.



Untitled, 1989, Joel Shapiro, bronze.

Sort of reminds me a a gardener, inelegantly, tripping over something, headfirst.


Chair Transformation Number 20B, 1996, Lucas Samaras, patinated bronze.

Depending on what angle these are viewed from, they look angled, leaning back or springing forward. Makes me think of what Escher's dining room chairs might look like.



Six-Part Seating, 1985/1998, Scott Burton, polished granite.

Something functional that could be put to good use in my own garden. Though I don't think I'd want to have to move them too often.



Spider, 1996, cast 1997, Louise Bourgeois, bronze with silver nitrate patina.

We have a sculpture park just south of Buffalo with dozens of outdoor sculptures that I'll get around to posting about at some point. There are many that remind me of this piece there. Might scare kids from coming into the garden. It's got that going for it anyway.



Cheval Rouge (Red Horse), 1974, Alexander Calder, painted sheet metal.

A bit over scale for most gardens I suppose, but none the less dramatic.



Four-Sided Pyramid, 1999, Sol LeWitt, concrete blocks and mortar.

One of my favorites. Looks like an Op Art painting, tricking the eye. A few posts back, I had mentioned creating art from dry-stacking pavers & bricks. If you had a large enough brick budget, and the space to do it, you too could have this in your back yard. Though Sol LeWitt was aided by a team of engineers and stone masons. Maybe you shouldn't try this at home.


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