San Francisco Art Museums
Tips to Visit the Most Popular Art Museums in San Francisco
San Francisco art museums are some of the best in the country. Explore the most popular ones during your visit including the Museum of Modern Art, the de Young Fine Arts Museum and the Asian Art Museum.
Many of these museums feature highly acclaimed permanent collections. In addition, they draw in some of the best traveling exhibits in the US.
Below you will find an overview of each one including a little on their permanent collections. You will also find information and dates for their current or upcoming special events and displays. Click on any of the links below to jump ahead to the information for a specific museum.
San Francisco Art Museums: Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the popular San Francisco art museums. It’s located right in the heart of the city in the SOMA district.
Quick Facts: Their permanent collection has more than 26,000 piece of modern art. The exhibits include works of art, photographs, free standing art and more. They also have a number of amazing traveling exhibits.
Location: 151 Third Street (between Mission + Howard)
Cost: $18 for adults, $12 for seniors (62+), $11 for students w/current ID and free for kids 12 and under; Half price admissions on Thursdays from 6pm to 8:45pm; some of their special exhibits cost extra
Hours: Friday – Tuesday from 11am to 5:45pm (open at 10am in the summer); Thursday from 10am to 8:45pm; Closed on Wednesdays, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas
Free Days: First Tuesday of each month; additional cost for some special exhibits
Current & Upcoming Special Exhibits and Events
| Rineke Dijkstra: A Retrospective | Until May 28 |
| Paul Klee: Portraits | Until June 3 |
| Descriptive Acts | Until June 17 |
| Mark Bradford | Until June 17 |
| Photography of Mexico: Selected Works from Danile Greenberg & Susan Steinhauser | Until July 8 |
| The Utopian Impulse: Buckminster Fuller and the Bay Area | Until July 29 |
| Para: Weirded Out | Until July 29 |
| ArtGameLab | Until August 12 |
New Work: Katharina Wulff |
Until September 4 |
| Jim Campbell: Exploded Views | Until October 23 |
Discount Passes: Admission included with both the Go San Francisco Card and the San Francisco CityPass. Compare the two passes.
Transit to the Museum: This is one of the San Francisco art museums that is an easy walk from Union Square. The Hop On/Hop Off tour is another great option. You will need to get off the tour at stop #13 and walk about a block to the entrance.
Insider Tips: Take some time to look around the building and visit the roof top deck. The building itself has some beautiful, modern features. The roof deck is a Blue Bottle Cafe where you can sip some coffee while enjoying your time at the museum. Participate in one of the four free, daily guided tours. They are at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 with an additional one at 7:15pm on Thursday nights.
San Francisco Art Museums: de Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
The de Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco is another one of the popular San Francisco art museums. The museum is located in Golden Gate Park.
Quick Facts: The fine arts museum San Francisco just relocated to a new, building right across the street from the California Academy of Sciences. It's a large space that occupies over 293,000 square feet.
Location: 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive in the Golden Gate Park
Cost: $10 for adults; $7 for seniors; $6 for students with IDs and youths 13 - 17; free for children 12 and under; $7 for the audio tour; additional charge for some special exhibits
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30am to 5:15pm; Open until 8:45 on Fridays from mid-January through November; Closed on Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day; The museum also closes at 4 pm on December 24
Free Days: First Tuesday of every month; additional cost for some special exhibits
Current & Upcoming Special Exhibits and Events
| Matter + Spirit: The Sculpture of Stephen De Staebler | Until May 13 |
| Arthur Tress: San Francisco 1964 | Until June 3 |
| The Art of the Anatolian Kilim: Highlights from the McCoy Jones Collection | Until June 10 |
| New Dimensions: Prints and Multiples from the Anderson Collection | Until July 1 |
| The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk | Until August 19 |
| Real to Real: Photographs from the Traina Collection | June 9 - September 16 |
| The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism | September 15 - December 30 |
| Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis | January 26, 2013 - June 2, 2012 |
Discount Passes: Admission included with the Go San Francisco Card and San Francisco CityPass. Compare the two passes.
Transit to the Museum: Your best option is to take the Hop On/Hop Off tour to the museum. Exit the bus at stop #8 by the California Academy of Sciences. The de Young is right across the street. Other options include taking the bus or a taxi. Take the 5 Fulton bus (to 8th Avenue & Fulton) or the N Judah muni train (to 9th and Irving) from Union Square, both drop you about six or seven blocks away from this museum. If you take a taxi, it will cost around $25 or so from Union Square.
Insider Tips: This is just one of several San Francisco art museums that offers guided tours. These tours are great because you can learn more and ask questions about the pieces on display. These tours are free, you do not need to make a reservation and you are welcome to join them already in progress.
San Francisco Art Museums: Asian Art Museum San Francisco
The Asian Art Museum San Francisco is another one of my favorite San Francisco art museums. The entire museum is dedicated to Asian Art. It’s one of the few and largest that is completely dedicated to art in this area of the world.
Quick Facts: This San Francisco art museum has over 17,000 items in its permanent collection. Most of the items are rare and some are several thousand years old.
Location: 200 Larkin Street (between Fulton and McAllister Streets) in the Civic Center area near City Hall
Cost: $12 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older, $7 for college student with an ID, $7 for youths (13 – 17), free for children 12 and under; $5 for after 5pm on Thursdays; most special exhibits are an additional fee
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday – Sunday from 10am to 5pm; the hours on Thursday vary with the season - October to January it's open from 10am to 5pm and from February to September it’s open from 10am to 9pm; Closed on Mondays, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Free Days: First Sunday of the month sponsored by Target, the "Target First Free Sundays" are on a first come, first served basis, so you will want arrive early if you want to ensure you can get a ticket; additional cost for some special exhibits
Current & Upcoming Special Exhibits and Events
Discount Passes: Admission is included with the Go San Francisco Card
Transit to the Museum: The Asian Art Museum is stop #11 on the Hop On/Hop Off tour. You can also take any BART or the Muni light rail trains from Union Square to Civic Center. Head north after exiting the train and the museum is about four blocks away.
Insider Tips: Since the museum is so large, I recommend that you leave at least two to three hours for your visit. They have some videos along the way too, so you can learn more about each culture. Keep this in mind as you are planning your day and the amount of time you are going to spend at the museum. The museum also has free guided tours throughout the day. Ask for the schedule when you arrive.
San Francisco Art Museums: Cartoon Art Museum San Francisco
The Cartoon Art Museum San Francisco is another one of the San Francisco art museums that is fun to visit. It’s a museum that is fully dedicated to cartoon and animation art.
Quick Facts: This is another one of the San Francisco art museums that is very large. It has over 6,000 pieces in its permanent cartoon art collection from familiar Sunday comics to Saturday morning cartoons. This museum has five galleries of exhibit space. It also has a research library.
Location: 655 Mission Street in the SOMA neighborhood
Cost: $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, $3 for kids (6 to 12) and children 5 and under get in free; the first Tuesday of the month is "Toonsday" where you pay what you wish; additional cost for some special exhibits
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm; closed on Mondays, New Year's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas
Current & Upcoming Special Exhibits and Events
The Art of DreamWorks Puss in Boots |
Until April 22 |
| Image Comics: A 20th Anniversary Celebration | Until April 29 |
Black and White and Read All Over: Comics of the New Millennium |
Until May 6 |
| Small Press Spotlight on Ric Carrasquillo |
Until June 10 |
Discount Passes: Admission included with your Go San Francisco Card
Transit to the Museum: This is another one of the museums in San Francisco that is close to Union Square. It is right around the corner from the Museum of Modern Art. You can walk here from Union Square. Use stop #13 if you are on the Hop On/Hop Off tour bus.
Insider Tips: The museum looks small when you enter, but you will find a lot of classic comics here. Plan on spending at least an hour or more walking through and reading all of the comics. Photography is not allowed in the museum and you may have to check your camera at the front desk.
San Francisco Art Museums: Legion of Honor
The Legion of Honor is another one of the great San Francisco art museums. It dedicates it space to fine arts from sculptures to paintings.
This amazing museum includes a Rodin issued cast of the famous "The Thinker" statue. You will also find famous European paintings, ancient works of art, photography and other fine arts on display at the Legion of Honor.
Quick Facts: Collection showcases 4,000 years of ancient and European art; over 800 European paintings; several pieces of ancient art from Egypt, the Near East, Greece, the Aegean Islands, Etruria and Rome; largest repository of works of art on paper in the western United States and photography that concentrates on early California and San Francisco history
Location: In Lincoln Park at 100 34th Avenue on the north western side of San Francisco
Cost: $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for youths 13 - 17 and students with IDs, free for children under 13; additional cost for some special exhibits
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30 am to 5:15 pm; closed on Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
Free Days: First Tuesday of the month; additional cost for some special exhibits
Current & Upcoming Special Exhibits and Events
| The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860 to 1900 | Until June 17 |
| Making the Modern Picture Book: Children's Books from the Victorian Era | Until June 17 |
| Man Ray | Lee Miller, Partners In Surrealism | July 14 - October 14 |
Discount Passes: Admission included with both the Go San Francisco card and the San Francisco CityPass. Compare the two passes.
Transit to the Museum: Parking is free at the Legion of Honor. You can also take the bus. From Union Square, you can take the 1-California (to the 33rd Avenue and Clement Street stop) or the 38-Geary (to the 33rd Avenue and Geary Street stop). You can then either transfer to the 18, which drops right in front of the museum, or walk about a half mile north to the museum.
Insider Tips: Head down to the lower level cafe for some of the best views of the Pacific Ocean. Free guided tours available with no reservations. Ask for a schedule when you arrive.
San Francisco Art Museums: Yerba Buena Arts Museum
The Yerba Buena Arts Museum is one of the more interesting San Francisco art museums. The museum has no permanent art collection, but rather showcases special exhibits.
Quick Facts: Review the list below to see what is on display during your visit.
Location: 701 Mission Street @ 3rd Street
Cost: $7 for adults; $5 for students, seniors and teachers; free for kids 5 and under
Hours: Thursday - Saturday from 12 to 8 pm; Sunday from 12 to 6 pm; closed on Mondays, Tuesdays (open on the first Tuesday from 12 to 8), Wednesdays and all major holidays
Free Days: First Tuesday of the month
Current & Upcoming Special Exhibits and Events
| The Raw Feed: Room for Big Ideas | Until May 6 |
| Mark Bradford: large-scale collages and installations made from found objects | Until May 27 |
| Audience as Subject: turns the lens back on the audience, exposing the dramatic and narrative potential of the crowd itself | Until May 27 |
| Super 8: a collection of video art in multi-channel formats | Until June 24 |
| John-Mark Ikeda: What Suits Us, a visual arts display | Until June 24 |
| Nathalie Talec: The One Who Sees Blindly | April 21 - July 1 |
| Reimagine: That Which We Know But Don't Realize | May 16 - September 16 |
Discount Passes: Admission is included with your Go San Francisco card.
Transit to the Museum: This is another one of the centrally located San Francisco art museums. It is just a few blocks from Union Square. Stop #13 on the Hop On/Hop Off tour drops right in front of the museum.
Insider Tips: The Yerba Buena Center for Performing Arts has a range of events, films and other shows. Before visiting, check out their calendar for even more events during your stay: Yerba Buena website
Go San Francisco Card
Admission to many of the San Francisco art museums is included with the Go San Francisco card. This is a multi-day, multi-attraction pass that saves you both time and money. It includes admission to more than 50 attractions in San Francisco and the surrounding areas.
Other popular attractions included with the Go Card are the California Academy of Sciences, the Conservatory of Flowers and Aquarium of the Bay. Just a few of the free tours included with the card are the Golden Gate Bay Cruise, the GrayLine Trolley Tour and AT&T Ballpark Tour.
With this card, you also receive discounts and value added offers at many retailers and restaurants throughout the city. To keep track of all the offers included, you will receive a free full color guide book when you buy the pass.
The card is available for one, two, three, five or seven days, so you can purchase it just for the days you are visiting. Overall, you will only pay a fraction of the full price tickets for all of these attractions. Uncover additional benefits and pick up your Go San Francisco card today!
Hop On/Hop Off Tour
The Hop On/Hop Off tour is a great way to get around San Francisco. This tour is specifically designed for those wanting to easily get from one attraction to the next -- without having to drive or take public transportation.
The San Francisco Hop On/Hop Off tour includes nineteen stops throughout the city. You can hop on and off at any stop to visit some of these San Francisco art museums or other attractions.
You can buy either a one day or two day pass. This is a great way of getting to some of the museums that are a little further out such as the California Academy of Sciences or de Young Museum.
Add this with your purchase of the Go San Francisco card and you will be ready for your adventure in the city by the bay. Learn more about the Hop On/Hop Off Tour and reserve your ticket today!
History Museums in San Francisco: In addition to the number of great San Francisco art museums, the city also has some great history museums. The most popular is the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Another favorite is the Cable Car Museum, where you can learn about the history of the cable cars in San Francisco and watch the current wheels pull the cars up the steep hills in the city. Learn more about these and other history museums in San Francisco.
Other Museums San Francisco: You can also find a number of other wonderful museums in San Francisco from the Exploratorium -- designed for those that love a hands on experience to learn more about the sciences -- to the living museums such as the Conservatory of Flowers or the Botanical Gardens. Here you will discover some of the other San Francisco museums.
San Francisco Bay Aquarium: Also known as the Aquarium by the Bay, this popular stop features the plants and animals of the San Francisco bay. This is a great tour for both kids and adults -- anyone that is interested in learning more about the plants and animals that live under the water in the area. Read on to learn more about what it is like to visit this aquarium.
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