July 27, 2021 

Mock-up rendering for the installation Draw the Curtain (2021) by Nicolas Party, commissioned by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, scheduled to debut fall 2021 

The exterior of the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s iconic cylindrical building will be the site of internationally renowned Swiss artist Nicolas Party’s newest artwork, debuting Sept. 18. Running four storeys high with a circumference of 829 ft, Draw the Curtain, a site-specific commission by Nicolas Party, will upend views in the city’s monumental core with cheeky scenes of hide and seek.

Originally a pastel painting, the work was 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.

Initial artist design for the installation Draw the Curtain (2021) by Nicolas Party Courtesy of the artist