First some background:
Olga Hirshhorn, a part time Naples resident and noted art collector, is the widow of Joseph Hirshhorn. Joseph was a founding donor of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, part of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C.
This collection, the Mouse House, recreates the atmosphere of Olga's art-packed house in Washington, D.C. When her husband bought breathtaking large-scale works, he often requested that the artist "throw in a little something for Olga." Thus the 194 small objects, drawings, and sketches often reveal the artists' working methods.
Some artists whose work appears in this wonderful exhibit are Pablo Picasso (6 pieces), Alexander Calder (7 pieces), Georgia O'Keefe, Salvador Dali, Robert De Niro, Sr., Auguste Rodin, George Rickey, Larry Rivers, Henry Moore, , Louise Nevelson, and Willem de Kooning (6 pieces).
Many of the pieces are personally signed by the artist; a 1963 de Kooning is signed "To Olga, Love Bill."
