Hirshhorn Gala To Honor 42 Contemporary Artists—21 Pairs of Intergenerational Trailblazers

The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden announced today that its fifth annual New York gala will be held Monday, Nov. 4, at Lincoln Center. The 2019 gala, “Artist x Artist,” will celebrate 42 contemporary artists, including Marina Abramović and Anohni; Jordan Casteel and Faith Ringgold; Alex Israel and Laurie Anderson; Michael Joo and Wu Tsang; and Lawrence Weiner and Catherine Opie. To assemble this intergenerational vanguard, the museum invited 21 artists to each select an additional honoree who has influenced their thinking. Hiroshi Sugimoto and Theaster Gates will serve as Co-Chairs.

“Each year, the Hirshhorn’s fall gala recognizes boundary-pushing individuals who, through their artwork, encourage new ways of understanding the world around us,” said Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu. “This year’s celebration invites influential artists to recognize others. The resulting assembly of 42 honorees embodies the museum’s dedication to promoting and preserving connections between creators across generations, borders and art forms.”

Over the past four years, Hirshhorn galas in New York and Washington, D.C., have generated more than $5 million to benefit the museum’s projects, including exhibitions, community programs and partnerships and digital collaborations. As in years past, all proceeds from the 2019 New York gala will fund the museum’s initiatives to bring international contemporary art to the widest possible audiences.

For the third consecutive year, Lincoln Center will provide the backdrop for this event, welcoming approximately 400 guests to David Geffen Hall. The museum’s next annual event in Washington, D.C., is scheduled for spring 2020.

Previous Hirshhorn galas have recognized 40 renowned contemporary artists in honor of the museum’s 40th anniversary in 2015; a new generation of emerging artists in 2016; 32 trailblazing female artists in 2017; and 25 creative couples and duos in 2018. This year’s gala, “Artist x Artist”, will gather 42 artists for a celebration of intergenerational influence.

The artists who will be recognized at “Artist x Artist” include:

Marina Abramović x Anohni
Korakrit Arunanondchai x Matthew Ritchie
Lynda Benglis x Clytie Alexander
Jordan Casteel x Faith Ringgold
Sarah Crowner x Mary Heilmann
Alex Da Corte x Polly Apfelbaum
Cyprien Gaillard x James Wines
Loie Hollowell x Ann Agee
Luchita Hurtado x Andrea Bowers
Alex Israel x Laurie Anderson
Michael Joo x Wu Tsang
Alicja Kwade x Gregor Hildebrandt
Erik Lindman x John Zurier
Jaume Plensa x Ann Hamilton
Julian Schnabel x Jorge Galindo
Karin Schneider x John Miller
Amy Sherald x Deborah Roberts
Suling Wang x Tehching Hsieh
Lawrence Weiner x Catherine Opie
Christopher Williams x David Hartt

For more information about the gala, visit the event’s webpage:

hirshhorn.si.edu/event/hirshhorn-new-york-gala-2019.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. With nearly 12,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, mixed-media installations, works on paper and new media works, its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time—free to all, 364 days a year (closed Dec. 25). For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu.