Smithsonian sculpture garden redesigned by Japanese artist - NHKニュース

A sculpture garden at a Smithsonian museum in Washington reopened to the public on Saturday, following a four-year renovation led by the contemporary Japanese artist Sugimoto Hiroshi.

The garden is part of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, one of the Smithsonian Institution's museums.

The garden redesigned by Sugimoto features about 60 artworks, including sculptures. It has nearly 30,000 new plants and trees.

The underground passage linking the museum and the garden has been reopened after about 40 years. Japanese stonemasons spent four and a half months building the stone walls by hand.

Sugimoto said the entire process took more than 10 years, including negotiations with government agencies. He added that there were times he considered giving up, but he was deeply moved to see the project completed.

Three sculptures by the contemporary Japanese artist Nara Yoshitomo are on display to mark the garden's reopening. They will remain on view for about a year. Nara visited the site on Saturday.

The Hirshhorn's acting director, Aaron Seeto, said about 35 million people visit the National Mall in Washington each year, and that the museum directly faces onto it. He added that it is a great opportunity to welcome these visitors, and he hopes to see many from Japan.