The museum showcases collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries, international textile arts and costumes, and art of Africa, Oceania, and the ancient Americas.
From its origins as the Fine Arts Building constructed for the California Midwinter International Exposition in 1894, the de Young has grown into the foremost museum in the western United States.
Founded in 1895 in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the museum evolved into the current contemporary building. Constructed of warm, natural materials including copper, stone, wood and glass, the new de Young blends with and complements its natural surroundings. The building features a 144-foot tower that gently spirals from the ground floor to a public observation floor offering panoramic views of the entire Bay Area. Original elements include the sphinx sculptures and the Pool of Enchantment.
Please check the museum website for updated exhibition information. Scheduling may have been modified as a result of the temporary museum closure.
Exhibitions & Dates
Nampeyo and the Sikyátki Revival
Feb 27 2021 - Feb 26 2023
32 pots expose the artistic ingenuity of Nampeyo, famed Tewa-Hopi potter
Hung Liu: Golden Gate
Jul 17 2021 - Mar 13 2022
Site-specific installation highlights international and domestic narratives of migration
Alice Neel: People Come First
Mar 12 2022 - Jul 10 2022
100 paintings, drawings, and watercolors position Neel as one of the 20th century’s radical painters
To Teach and Inspire: The Julia Brenner Textile Collection
Oct 31 2021 - Oct 30 2022
A selection of 18th- to 20th-century printed textiles
Judy Chicago: A Retrospective
Aug 28 2021 - Jan 9 2022
150 works and related archival material chart Chicago's boundary-pushing path
Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love
Oct 23 2021 - Apr 24 2022
Exhibition situates Kelly and his work in the broader context of art and fashion history
Jules Tavernier and the Elem Pomo
Dec 18 2021 - Apr 17 2022
50 works tell the story of the artist Jules Tavernier’s extraordinary career