The de Young is San Francisco's oldest art museum, in Golden Gate Park since the 1890s. Its present building, by the Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, opened in 2005 and is wrapped in perforated copper panels that are gradually weathering to green, so the building looks a little more like the park every year.
The collections
The museum is strongest in American art from the colonial period to the present, art of the Americas, Africa and Oceania, and textiles. Its big temporary exhibitions draw crowds and usually need timed tickets. The galleries are spacious and rarely feel crowded outside the blockbuster shows.
The observation tower
A twisting tower at one corner holds a glass-walled observation floor on the top level, reached by elevator. It looks over the park to the Pacific, downtown and the Golden Gate Bridge, and it is free, even if you do not visit the galleries. That makes it one of the best free views in the city; see San Francisco on a budget.
The garden
The sculpture garden and the café terrace are pleasant places to sit, and you can walk through parts of the garden without a ticket.
Pairing it
The California Academy of Sciences stands across the music concourse. Doing both in one day is possible but long; the tower, a gallery or two and the Academy make a good mixed day. The Japanese Tea Garden is next door.
A short history
The museum began as the fine arts building of the California Midwinter International Exposition held in the park in 1894. Newspaper publisher M. H. de Young, who had organized the fair, built it into a permanent museum, and it carries his name. After the old building was damaged by the 1989 earthquake, the city commissioned a new one. Its striking, angular design was controversial when it opened in 2005; the copper skin, punched with patterns based on light filtering through trees, has since mellowed into the park.
Highlights of the collection
- American art: paintings from the colonial era to the twentieth century, including works by painters of the West.
- Art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas: masks, sculpture and textiles, including an important collection from New Guinea.
- Textiles and costume: one of the largest textile collections in the country, shown in rotating displays.
- Contemporary art: in the galleries and the sculpture garden, with works by Bay Area artists.
Planning your visit
- The tower first: the observation floor is free and quiet in the morning.
- Special exhibitions need timed tickets and can sell out at weekends.
- Combined tickets with the Legion of Honor, the city's other fine-art museum, are sometimes offered; check when you buy.
- Nearby: the Japanese Tea Garden, the Shakespeare Garden and the band shell of the music concourse.
Frequently asked questions
Is the observation tower really free?
Yes, you can go up without a museum ticket during opening hours.
How long should I spend?
Two hours for the highlights and the tower; longer for a special exhibition.
Which is better, the de Young or SFMOMA?
They are different: the de Young covers world and American art in a park; SFMOMA is modern and contemporary art downtown. If you love modern art, choose SFMOMA; for variety and the park, the de Young.