Directions: Virgil Marti and Pae White

Installation view of Directions: Virgil Marti and Pae White, 2007, at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

March 9 to July 29, 2007
In their first museum collaboration, artists Virgil Marti and Pae White transformed the Hirshhorn’s lobby into an immersive environment of color, light, and texture. The exhibition included sculptures in the form of functional couches covered by rich tapestries that employed trompe l’oeil illusion; bright, ornate chandeliers; a boldly patterned window treatment; and dramatic gold “bone curtains.” The artists’ work combined forms inspired by nature, such as flowers and antlers, with other unconventional design elements, including newspapers, aluminum foil, and macramé. Responding to the Museum’s Late Modernist architecture, the collaborators seamlessly created a space that evoked both retro and contemporary design, as well as high art and popular culture. (To hear the artists discussing their work, download the free podcast.)

Support for Directions: Virgil Marti and Pae White was generously provided by the Trellis Fund. Additional support was provided by the Durfee Foundation, Carol and Arthur Goldberg, and Nancy and Stanley Singer.

Selected Press

Summary of select major press, multiple media outlets, January 2007 to May 2007 (PDF)

About the Directions Series
Since its opening in 1974, the Hirshhorn has been committed to providing a platform for the artists of today. Directions, established in 1979 as a group installation and transformed in 1987 to highlight the work of a single artist or paired artists, has been a longstanding hallmark of the Museum’s exhibition program and partnership with living artists. Bringing a diverse range of emerging and established artists from around the world to Washington, the series provides a prominent space on the National Mall for new work and new ideas.