San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
SFMOMA combines painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, media art, and a major living wall inside an expanded downtown building.
Artwork inspired by Richard Diebenkorn
SFMOMA combines painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, media art, and a major living wall inside an expanded downtown building. Bay Area artists matter here not as a regional sidebar but as participants in international modernism. The essential frame combines founded—1935—with expansion—2016—and floors—Seven.
Pick two floors and one medium, then use the free public spaces to understand how the addition joins the older building and city street. The museum is too large for comprehensive viewing; special exhibitions may use timed tickets, and several public spaces can be entered without admission. Move deliberately from living wall to Fisher Collection, then use Bay Area modernism as a check on the first impression rather than as another box to tick.
- Founded
- 1935
- Expansion
- 2016
- Floors
- Seven
Quick guide
- Read first
- Pick two floors and one medium, then use the free public spaces to understand how the addition joins the older building and city street.
- Connect it to
- Compare living wall with Fisher Collection, then use Bay Area modernism to test what the site is trying to communicate.
Know before you go
- Read first
- Pick two floors and one medium, then use the free public spaces to understand how the addition joins the older building and city street.
- Connect it to
- Compare living wall with Fisher Collection, then test that reading against Bay Area modernism.
- Place in context
- Founded: 1935; Expansion: 2016; Floors: Seven
- Plan the arrival
- For San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, use the reviewed visitor entrance at 151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103. Before visiting San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Good to know
The museum is too large for comprehensive viewing; special exhibitions may use timed tickets, and several public spaces can be entered without admission.
Notice these
- living wall
- Fisher Collection
- Bay Area modernism