The popular outdoor enclave of the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC is on the beautiful
National Mall location across from the
National Archives buildings, very much home to two acres of the National Gallery's most notable abstract sculptures. With six public entries to the Sculpture Garden available to the public, there are information guides available with the location of each sculpture and their descriptions, to be picked up at the gallery's main 7th street entrance. Its highlights include one of the most beautiful gardens in the city, in addition to a summer Friday evening "Jazz in the Garden" open-jazz concert along with sangrias, beer and gelato for the public, beginning on Memorial to Labor Day.
A skating rink is available when the fountain in the Sculpture Garden is converted for the winter hours with the nearby Pavilion Café offering hot chocolate for the chill—enjoyable as it is small and the skaters can go at their own pace, with the admission fee offering two hours of skating. Music is supplied with a state-of-the-art sound system and ice artwork surrounding the area on banners, with aesthetic lighting in the evenings consisting of small white light.
The display of permanent sculptures is available from some of the most notable sculptors of our time, offering quality abstract and contemporary work to the public for free viewing, with the most admiration by the public for the 1999 Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen's "Typewrtier Eras, Scale X" ; 1997 Barry Flanagan's "Thinker on a Rock" which is of a huge giant rabbit; and 1999 Sol LeWtt's "Four-sided Pyramid" consisting of a giant pyramid. For those who enjoy optical illusions, Roy Lichtenstein's "House" is extremely popular.
