New Acquisition
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN
Washington, D.C., collectors Barbara and Aaron Levine have gifted more than 50 major historical artworks to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.the gift includes more than 35 seminal works by Marcel Duchamp, as well as related photographs and works on paper by Duchamp’s contemporaries, including Man Ray, Henri Cartier-bresson, Diane Arbus and Irving Penn.
The Levines say, “We have been collecting conceptual art for a good part of our lives and have been involved with the Hirshhorn for nearly 20 years.this donation of art gives the public access to our collection of Duchamp works that we have lived with and loved. A free museum with nearly 1 million visitors a year is the perfect home for these artworks.” Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Duchamp’s death, the gift includes a selection of his iconic ready-mades, including Hat Rack, Comb and With Hidden Noise, as well as his Box in a Valise, a compendium of miniature reproductions of more than 60 of the artist’s works.
“In the early 20th century, Marcel Duchamp reshaped the definition of what we might consider to be art today, setting the stage for all that followed,” says Melissa Chiu, director of the Hirshhorn.“we are so grateful to the Levines for this significant gift, which will build on the substantial holdings of modern art including Henri Matisse,alberto Giacometti and Alexander Calder.”