Best Museums and Art Galleries in San Francisco, CA
As travelers to the area will quickly discover, the best museums and art galleries in San Francisco serve as a stark reminder that the city remains a major arts and cultural hub. Happily for visitors, the town’s wide range of venues also features works in a diverse scope of genres and interests, like The Beat Museum (dedicated to literary figures of note) or the African Diaspora Museum. Still more options, e.g. the Legion of Honor or SFMOMA, rank among some of the most iconic places at which to explore the arts on the west coast. Simply read on to find out more about the best museums and art galleries in San Francisco, CA: You’ll be glad you did.
540 Broadway
Writers and literary fanatics will appreciate one of San Francisco’s more unique offerings, The Beat Museum. It’s dedicated to the SF Beat Generation of the 1950s and is one of the most accessible ways to learn about California counter-culture, since it’s basically a shrine to the greats like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and Neal Cassidy. Throughout the exhibits, you’ll find artifacts like original letters, clothing, photographs, and information on the history of The Beat Scene of San Francisco. Within the museum, there’s also a store that will definitely be of interest, with rare and first edition books or vintage vinyls for sale.
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr
The copper exterior and the 144-feet observation tower at this museum in Golden Gate Park is usually enough to attract art lovers. If not, the immense 27,000- piece permanent collection definitely will. This museum features paintings from American artists like John Singleton Copley, George Hitchcock, and Thomas Hill, and sculptures and artifacts from pre-Columbian times, as well as African art, in addition to works by more contemporary artists like Bruce Nauman and Ed Ruscha. There are also some rotating exhibitions like Contemporary Muslim Fashion that run into early 2019, plus, if you buy an admission ticket here, you can also go visit the Legion of Honor.
200 Larkin St
The collection at this Asian Art Museum is the biggest one in the entire country and one of the most comprehensive in the whole world, spanning nearly 6,000 years and 18,000 works. The general aim here is to educate the Western public about Asian art, and, between paintings and artifacts you’ll find surprises like Indonesian shadow puppets, Hindi sculpture, sacred texts from the Ming Dynasty, and even an authentic teahouse transported from Kyoto.
781 Beach St 1st floor
The Cartoon Art Museum is dedicated to all things hand-drawn and animated. It’ll keep both kids and adults entertained with its display of animation like Sunday funnies and graphic novels and it’s one-of-a-kind as far as the West Coast goes. There’s an upcoming exhibition that will display rarely seen works of Jo Mora, a famous illustrator, and admission here is always reasonably under $10 depending on age. On the first Tuesday of every month, it’s pay-what-you-wish, and on some Saturdays there are even cartoon workshops that teach the craft.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 3rd St
You’ll end up spending at least three hours getting lost in this massive museum of modern art. SFMOMA is a tried and true pick, as one of the best museums in San Francisco, and with notable artists o like Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Marcel Duchamp, and Paul Klee on display, it’s not hard to see why. There are also some pieces by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to be found here, as well as one of Braque’s famous works, Violin and Candlestick. If you want to know more as you’re walking through the galleries, download the app to get an audio tour as you navigate the seven-floor building.
4127 18th St
This LGBT museum embodies the spirit of San Francisco and is only the second one in the world to be a stand-alone display of gay, lesbian, and transgender art. It’s a small museum, but will definitely have a powerful impact, especially when it comes to the story of queer history within San Francisco and the assassination of Harvey Milk. It’s worth a visit for anyone interested in the topic, and you really can’t beat the $5 admission.
2981 24th St
Precita Eyes Muralists is a cultural foundation that offers tours of all the street art in and murals that line the walls of San Francisco’s Mission District. All the tours are lead by artists themselves or people knowledgeable on the subject, and happen on weekends to make it easier on everyone. The History Mural Tour is the shorter option and runs for about an hour every third Saturday of the month and is lead by the director of the center, Susan Cervantes. The Classic Mural Tour, on the other hand, is about two hours long and happens every Saturday and Sunday at 1:30PM. General admission tickets are $20 for both and can be purchased online.
Museum of the African Diaspora
685 Mission St
The narrator of the permanent “Slavery Narratives” exhibition at this African art and culture museum is none other than the famous author Maya Angelou. Even through its temporary exhibits, this museum aims to cultivate an array of work to represent the richness of the African Diaspora. Right now, works by artist and political refuge Ficre Ghebreyesus are on view, in addition to another fascinating exhibit called “I Told You Who Am I.” Come on a Saturday after 5PM if you don’t want to pay the $10 admission.
100 34th Ave
The Legion of Honor features an impressive collection of European art, including a sizable sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin. The exterior is also an architectural marvel, and the courtyard’s glass pyramid is reminiscent of The Louvre in Paris and provides plenty of natural lighting to enjoy the inside galleries. Other noteworthy artists housed here include Degas, Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, and Seurat, as well as some works by masters like Rembrandt and El Greco. In this case, the location in Land’s End is actually a plus, so if you come here during the week, odds are it won’t be that crowded.
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For more on the best museums and art galleries in San Francisco, also see:
Time Out – 10 Best Art Galleries in San Francisco Right Now