Mark Bradford: Meet the Artist

Watch an artist talk with Mark Bradford, the Los Angeles–based artist commissioned to create a series of eight monumental collage-on-canvases that fill the inner ring of the Hirshhorn’s distinctive curved galleries. The resulting work, titled Pickett’s Charge, draws inspiration from the Gettysburg National Military Park’s 1883 cyclorama, which depicts the decisive moments of the Battle of Gettysburg and thus what is considered to be the pivotal turning point of the Civil War.  Bradford’s artwork mixes layers of colored paper with reproductions of the original cyclorama to create a dynamic collage that spans 400 linear feet floor to ceiling.  Pickett’s Charge is Bradford’s first solo exhibition in Washington, DC, and his first major American solo show following his installation for the US Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale.

Mark Bradford: Pickett’s Charge is organized by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and has been made possible through generous lead support from Altria Group, the Emanuel/Addington Living Trust, and Hauser & Wirth. Major support has been provided by the Glenstone Foundation, Agnes Gund, Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis, Harold J. and Ruth Newman, Eileen Harris Norton, and Chara Schreyer. The Museum is also grateful for the additional funding provided by Vence and Angela Bonham, Peggy P. and Ralph Burnet, and the Hirshhorn International Council and the Hirshhorn Collectors’ Council. Media support is provided by Artnet.