San Francisco is a beautiful city and it is expanding culturally in many exciting ways. The SFJAZZ Center just opened in a $64 million performance space—the first stand-alone building designed for jazz in this country. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will be closed for two years beginning in June in order to add 235,000 square feet of space to house the Fisher Collection.
Private Collections at SFMOMA
For more than 35 years, Donald and Doris Fisher, the founders of Gap, amassed a collection of over 1,000 works by contemporary artists. The Fisher family has arranged a long-term loan of their extraordinary collection to the museum for the next 100 years. The collection, previously housed at the Gap headquarters, includes prominent artists such as Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra, and Andy Warhol. While the museum is closed, SFMOMA will be showing their collection at other Bay Area venues.
On view now, the spectacular exhibition “Don’t Be Shy, Don’t Hold Back: The Logan Collection at SFMOMA” features works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Ed Ruscha. This exhibition of nearly 40 works from the 1960s to the 1990s celebrates the 15th anniversary of Vickie and Kent Logan’s gift of some 330 works of art from their collection.
The Fraenkel Gallery: “Unphotographable”
The Fraenkel Gallery is presenting a glorious show titled “Unphotographable.” It features artists such as Hiroshi Sugimoto, Alfred Stieglitz, Sophie Calle, and Tom Friedman. The standout artist for me was Idris Khan. His large photograph referencing CyTwombly’s blackboard circular painting is memorable. The concept of the show is that there are some things that one can never capture in a photograph. It is a remarkable show.
Berggruen Gallery: “The Picture Collection”
Taryn Simon’s show at the Bergguen Gallery is worth a visit. There are two floors filled with her photographs. The show’s title, “The Picture Collection” is based on the images she sourced from the New York Public Library’s picture clipping files. As a former librarian who worked at the New York Public Library, I was very much drawn to these works.
More San Francisco Adventures
The Paris-based collective’s exhibition, “Claire Fontaine: Redemptions,” at Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco—a small gallery with a big wallop—takes over the gallery in a HUGE way.
When we visited the Asian Art Museum it was between shows, waiting for the “China’s Terracotta Warriors” show to open (February 22 to May 27th). There were enough works from their collection on view to be amazed at how the Asian Art Museum enhances the city and how well the museum is curated.
The newly opened SFJAZZ Center is the place to go to listen to jazz. The building was only opened a month ago and it was a great experience listening to Dave Holland and Kenny Barron together in this incredible venue. There was no bad seat in the house. After the concert, I would recommend The Hayes Street Grill for a delicious dinner.
Nothing is nicer on a beautiful Saturday morning than to walk to the Ferry Building to see all the fabulous food products from the surrounding Bay Area. From pork sandwiches to sprouted beans and seeds, there is something for everyone. Another fun activity in the city is taking a stroll on Fillmore Street and walking in and out of the many boutiques. A favorite for lunch is Via Veneto for a lovely pasta and a glass of wine.
San Francisco offers so much to its visitors—endless vistas, delicious food, fascinating art, and great music. Search our Directory for more private art collections and museums in California and around the world!
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