WASHINGTON — A room in D.C.’s most popular exhibit is back open after a visitor accidentally damaged an art installation in part of the Hirshhorn Museum’s “Infinity Mirrors” exhibit.
Allison Peck, with the Hirshhorn, confirms there was an accident in the “All the Eternal Love I Have for Pumpkins” mirror room over the weekend.
One of the more than 60 glowing, hand-painted pumpkins in the room suffered minor damage and had to be removed for conservation, Peck said in an email.
Working with artist Yayoi Kusama, the museum has reconfigured the installation to ensure the “integrity and experience of the installation remains unchanged,” a release from the museum reads, and the room reopened Tuesday morning.
The exhibit has drawn more than 10,000 visitors since its opening last week. In part because of the anticipated popularity of the exhibit, the Hirshhorn increased security in the galleries by more than 50 percent, Peck said, and tripled the floor staff with 120 attendants and volunteers.
Peck said the cost of “replacing one of the pumpkins is negligible.”
Tickets are free, but the demand has made them among the most difficult to get in the District, because of the demand. Find out more about timed tickets.
Editor’s Note: This story has been changed to reflect that the installation is not valued at nearly $800,000, as previously reported. That value is placed on the artist’s stand alone painted pumpkin.
