Artistic endeavors abound throughout the Bay Area—and the winter months offer the chance to get reacquainted with some of our favorite spaces in the city. The exhibit lineup is long, impactful and perfect for exploring right now.
Tawny Chatmon, “A Hopeful Truth” at the Museum of the African Diaspora
With triple the gallery size after a 2016 expansion, SFMOMA is now the largest museum of its kind in North America. It features artworks from the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection—including titanic sculptures and paintings almost too big to feature anywhere else, like Julie Mehrety’s 1,728-square-foot “Howl eon (I, II).” This winter, don’t miss Yayoi Kusama’s sensory Infinite Love exhibition, including her beloved infinity mirrors. 151 Third St., 415.357.4000, sfmoma.org
Takashi Murakami: “Unfamiliar People: Monsterized Human Ego” at the Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art and culture in the world. Located in a Beaux Arts-style library building in the city’s cultural epicenter, it displays 18,000 treasures from Asia’s rich past and dynamic present. Current exhibitions include Murakami: Monsterized through Feb. 12, while ongoing exhibitions like Jakhodo Today and Taihu Rock-East Wind II are always visual treasures. 200 Larkin St., 415.581.3500, asianart.org
Throne Room at the Asian Art Museum
MoAD is one of the only museums in the world that focuses exclusively on the art and rich cultural history that developed following the dispersal of Africans worldwide. A significant renovation 10 years ago gave the museum a much-needed face-lift. It expanded its exhibition space, which features everything from untold slave narratives to the Caribbean tradition of Carnival costumes. Spectrum: On Color & Contemporary Art is on view through March 3, exploring how artists use color to guide our perception. 685 Mission St., 415.358.7200, moadsf.org
The new ICA San Francisco
The Cartoon Art Museum boasts a well-curated collection in its Fisherman’s Wharf digs. Don’t miss The Rocketeer: The Life and Legacy of Dave Stevens, a thought-provoking retrospective celebrating Stevens’ life and artistry, through Feb. 25. 781 Beach St., 415.227.8666, cartoonart.org
“Designing Peace” at the Museum of Craft and Design
Its tower rising above the trees in Golden Gate Park, the de Young, along with the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is overseen by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It offers an outdoor sculpture garden, American art and special exhibitions ranging from the protest art of Keith Haring to crafts by ancient Navajo, Haida and Kwakwaka’wakw artisans. The second annual de Young Open is on view through Jan. 7, while a solo exhibition entitled Lhola Amira: Facing the Future showcases African art from Dec. 12 through May 5. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, 415.750.3600, famsf.org
“Fight and Flight: Crafting a Bay Area Life” at the Museum of Craft and Design
Opened last year, the 11,000-square-foot Institute of Contemporary Art doesn’t operate with a permanent collection. Instead, it embraces constant reinvention as it showcases contemporary art, offers unique programming and features plenty of social opportunities. Above all, the leaders of the new space want to broaden civic and creative engagement and help artists do what they do best: take risks as they help us see truth and the elements of beauty. Through Jan. 7, explore Rupy C. Tut’s innovative paintings in Out of Place, or experience large-scale sculptural installations by Patrick Martinez in Ghost Land. 901 Minnesota St., 415.226.9250, icasf.org
Artist Yayoi Kusama’s work is showcased at SFMOMA
Celebrating 27 years on Union Square, this family-owned gallery exhibits original paintings, prints and sculptures. It features more than 20 international and local artists, including Graciela Rodo Boulanger, Rafat Olbinski and pop artist Jisbar. 444 Post St., 415.434.4477, gallery444.com
Bursting onto the San Francisco art scene in 2008, Jessica Silverman is as innovative as she is smart. Stop by this gallery gem for a jolt of youth and energy. 621 Grant Ave., 415.255.9508, jessicasilvermangallery.com
One of San Francisco’s most beautiful classically inspired buildings, tucked away in the elevated Sea Cliff neighborhood, the Legion of Honor is home to famed art pieces like a bronze cast of Rodin’s “The Thinker” and masterworks by Monet and Degas. Its galleries highlight over 4,000 years of photography, sculpture and painting, and its peaceful cafe offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge. Exhibitions on view include Bouke de Vries: Memories in Porcelain and Drawing the Line: Michelangelo to Asawa. 100 34th Ave., 415.750.3600, famsf.org
The museum, which makes its home in the design district of Dogpatch, displays the brash and bold side of craftwork—from wool designs that look like landscapes or vintage glassware given new life in the form of installations. Peruse the latest exhibit, Designing Peace; it explores the unique role design can play in creating peace. 2569 Third St., 415.773.0303, sfmcd.org
Photography by: COURTESY OF MOAD; COURTESY OF TAKASHI MURAKAMI/KAIKAI KIKI CO.; COURTESY OF THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM; COURTESY OF ICA SAN FRANCISCO; HENRIK KAM; HENRIK KAM; COURTESY OF THE ARTIST/BY YUSUKE MIYAZAKI
