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The exterior of the Hirshhorn’s iconic cylindrical building will be the site of internationally renowned Swiss artist Nicolas Party’s newest artwork, debuting Sept. 18. “Draw the Curtain” (2021) will wrap 360 degrees around the temporary scaffolding that encases the museum building and will span a circumference of 829 feet, becoming the artist’s largest work to date. An original pastel painting digitally collaged and printed onto scrim, the site-specific commission will transform the Hirshhorn’s façade into a monumental canvas that stands out against the landscape of predominantly neo-classical buildings on the National Mall. The work will be on view through spring 2022 while the building’s envelope undergoes critical repairs.
“We are in the wake of a year that has challenged us to discover new potential in the outdoors as spaces for joy and connection,” said Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu. “I am excited to welcome Nicolas Party back to the Hirshhorn to this time use the exterior of the building as his canvas. ‘Draw the Curtain’ will activate the museum building to engage with outdoor viewers and the surrounding National Mall in an entirely new way.”
“Draw the Curtain” will comprise several anonymous faces partially hidden by draped curtains, gazing directly at the viewer no matter where they are viewing from around the building. Known for his unique visual language that simultaneously celebrates and challenges conventions of representational painting, Party steeps this work in art historical technique and symbolism. The featured portraits, painted in black and white, are based on classical sculpture, while the curtains, painted in shades of green, blue, yellow and red, are sampled mostly from 17th-century Dutch paintings. Painted in the tradition of “trompe l’oeil,” the work addresses themes of dupery and illusion and conjures a scenographic set. It invites passersby to peek backstage behind the “curtain” on the National Mall and examine both the collections housed within the Smithsonian and the contents of the distinctive government buildings dotting the surrounding landscape. “Draw the Curtain” reminds the viewer of the opacity of these spaces, while inviting them to consider what lies behind the façades of the buildings in the nation’s capital.
“Draw the Curtain” will mark the second time Party’s artwork has been shown in Washington; the Hirshhorn hosted the artist’s Washington debut in 2017 with his solo exhibition “sunrise, sunset,” a wall mural that he painted directly onto the museum’s gallery walls. The piece was inspired in part by President Barack Obama’s remark that “the sun will rise in the morning,” in response to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. “Draw the Curtain” completes Party’s progression from the interior of the Hirshhorn to the exterior of its building.
This project adds to the Hirshhorn’s rich history of commissioning artists to engage with its building, which was created as a “functional sculpture” by architect Gordon Bunshaft. The Hirshhorn presented Doug Aitken’s “SONG 1” in 2012, the first-ever work of 360-degree cinema to be presented in a continuous cylindrical format. More recently, in 2017, architect/artist Hiroshi Sugimoto redesigned the museum lobby to be a more welcoming space, and his current design for a revitalized sculpture garden for the Hirshhorn aims to do the same.
