San Francisco Museums

Arts Museums Nearby Hotel Exploratorium Wax Museum

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, SFMOMA houses an extensive collection of more than 25,000 works of modern and contemporary 20th Century art, including artistic developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture and design, and media arts that span the globe. Several art galleries display selections from the permanent collection of art, sculpture, furniture, and photographs along with changing exhibits. Experience the masterpieces of Henri Matisse, Frida Kahlo, René Magritte, Jackson Pollock, Georgia O'Keeffe, Man Ray, Andy Warhol, Ansel Adams, and Frank Lloyd Wright. SFMOMA also features a beautiful atrium lobby, a 299-seat theater, an interactive Education Center, the museum shop, CaffË Museo and the beautiful Rooftop Garden. Visit www.sfmoma.org.

Fine Arts Museums. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) is the city's largest public arts institution comprising the de Young Museum and Legion of Honor. Located in Golden Gate Park, the de Young Museum is San Francisco's oldest museum and houses one of the finest collections of American paintings in the country - more than 1,000 treasures from colonial times to the 20th Century - as well as decorative arts and crafts, and arts from Africa, Oceania and the Americas, as well as western and non-western textiles. Known as the City's Museum, de Young is recognized for its educational arts programs. San Francisco’s most beautiful museum, the Legion of Honor displays an impressive collection of 4,000 years of ancient and European art in a breathtaking setting overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Commemorating Californian soldiers who died in World War I, Legion of Honor is a beautiful Beaux-arts building in Lincoln Park overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Legion is noted for its impressive collection, which includes Rodin's Thinker sitting in the museum's Court of Honor, European decorative arts and paintings, Ancient art, and one of the largest collections of prints and drawings in the country, including works by Annie Leibovitz. Visit www.thinker.org.

Asian Art Museum. One of the largest museums in the world, the Asian Art Museum celebrates Asian art with a collection of 17,000 artworks spanning 6,000 years of history and seven major regions. Located at the Civic Center facility, the technologically advanced museum showcases the material, aesthetic, and intellectual achievements of Asian art and culture. The Asian Art Museum holds one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world with many rare and exceptional objects. The collection includes thousands of objects ranging from tiny jades to monumental sculptures, paintings, porcelains and ceramics, lacquers, textiles, furniture, arms and armor, puppets, and basketry. One of museum’s most celebrated object, the gilt bronze Buddha dated from 338 A.D., is the oldest known dated Chinese Buddha in the world and often cited as a textbook example of Chinese Buddhist art. Check out the children’s discovery center, and special rooms on African-American, Chinese, Filipino-American, and gay/lesbian works that surround the light-filled atrium. Visit www.asainart.org.  [Top]

Exploratorium. Housed within the landmark Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium is an experimental, hands-on museum that sparks a fun curiosity in science. The Exploratorium is a true educational center with a collage of hundreds of interactive exhibits in the areas of science, art, nature, technology and human perception. The museum features exciting exhibits to touch, pick up, and tinker with - your compass to endless discoveries. The Exploratorium’s new Mind collection showcases dozens of interactive exhibits and artworks that lead you to explore thoughts, feelings, and your own mind. Drink from an unusual fountain and explore the tension between reason and emotion. Discover the unseen world of the Tactile Dome, an interactive excursion through darkness, where your sense of touch is your only guide. Visit www.exploratorium.edu.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts/ Yerba Buena Gardens. Yerba Buena Gardens is a multi-use urban oasis in Downtown San Francisco with many cultural attractions and museums, such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Cartoon Museum. Public art, formal gardens, shops, restaurants, outdoor concerts, a children’s garden, ice-skating rink, a bowling alley and a historic carousel are all part of this unique experience. The gardens at Yerba Buena are a peaceful retreat in the city, including a butterfly garden and a children’s garden. A highlight of the public art displays is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, a granite and water structure with the largest waterfall on the West Coast and King's speeches etched in stone. A magnificent entertainment and arts complex on Mission Street, Yerba Buena Center presents visual art exhibitions, performing arts, film/video screenings, and community engagement programs that showcase San Francisco's artistic diversity and offers world perspectives on art. Visit www.ybca.org.  [Top]

Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf. The spirit of San Francisco is manifested in one of its most popular and historic landmarks - The Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. One of the world's largest wax museums, the fully restored San Francisco attraction showcases all aspects of life - from the haunting Chamber of Horrors to the inspiring Hall of Religion. There is also the historic Library of U.S. Presidents, the spectacular Recreation of King Tut's Tomb and the unique Palace of Living Art, where the world's masters and masterpieces come to life through the magic of wax artistry. The most popular part of the wax museum tour is the Gallery of Stars, where Leonardo Di Capiro and Will Smith join classics like Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne. Visit www.waxmuseum.com.  [Top]