de Young Museum

We'd avoided the de Young Museum for years with the kids, then finally decided to take them. It was during the Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibit in 2022/2023. Our oldest son was studying pharaohs for homeschool at the time, which prompted our visit. We then realized that the de Young hosts some truly amazing traveling exhibits and that we need to pay closer attention to their calendar. The kids were well-behaved and actually enjoyed spending time in the exhibit halls. Tuesday - Sunday9:30 am - 5:15 pm

I had a wonderful time at the Tamara de Lempicka retrospective this weekend. I haven't enjoyed an exhibition this much since the de Young's spectacular Ansel Adams exhibition a few years back. The show was thoughtfully curated. It was interesting to see how her style evolved and changed with the clear early influence of German Expressionism toward the Art Deco style, with which many people will associate her work. It was cool to learn about her rich, slightly chaotic personal life (*In Stefon from SNL's voice* cocaine, Wagner played at earsplitting volume, affairs, and human ashes scattered atop a volcano... yes, yes, yes, this exhibition-- and her life-- has everything) and imagine the impact that had on her work. By the time we'd absorbed all of the beautiful work in the exhibition, we were a bit too tapped out to check out the other exhibitions that were on, but there's always something interesting at the de Young. I look forward to coming back in the future to see more. The cafe was nice, and we grabbed lunch just before the line became longgggggg. Parking was a flat $20, and everyone had to talk to the parking attendant because their machines were being fixed, which made getting in take a while.

The Tamara de Lempicka exhibit was absolutely stunning, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her fascinating history. Having recently become a member, I'm excited to explore even more of the incredible works on display. The space itself is breathtaking, offering an ever-changing array of beautiful art that never fails to inspire.Each visit feels like a fresh discovery, with new pieces to admire and appreciate. The outdoor area is equally captivating--a true masterpiece in its own right. The iconic apples and James Turrell installation is pure perfection, adding to the magical experience of this remarkable place.

The de Young does it again!! Loved the Tamara de Lempicka exhibit that's happening now until February. Met several others at the museum and participated in the docent tour of the exhibit. The docent was lively and had so much information. I usually just go through exhibits on my own and read all the little descriptions, but having a docent give her perspective was very informative and helped me focus in on nuances of the art that I wouldn't have done otherwise. The docent tours are free, but you have to register for them. They happen twice in a day for the special exhibits. The docent gave information about the times and life of de Lempicka and it was very interesting and informative. Although she only focused on certain pieces, you can go through the exhibit again after the tour and look at the pieces that were skipped. There were so many other pieces plus dresses that were from that period in time. Really great exhibit!I love how the de Young brings in so many different exhibits. My membership has been such a value to me and my guests and I hope to continue my support of the fine arts museums in SF.

Art From Scratch World-class art museum located in verdant Golden Gate Park that was first established in 1895, and, along with the Legion of Honor, is part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The Good:*Free Saturdays for all Bay Area residents (most have ID)*Very reasonable at $20/per and that gets you admission to both the de Young & Legion of Honor. *Thousands of paintings and art pieces on display from throughout the world, except Europe as those are in the Legion. *Amazing tribal art collection. *Be sure to go up to the top floor for an amazing 360° view of the surrounding park area. *Café (didn't try can't comment)*Gift shop*Great location at GGP which also has a Japanese garden, botanical garden, and a science museum all within walking distance. *Friendly staffThe Meh:*Paid parking garage ($5.25/hr weekdays and $6.25/hr weekends and special events), as well as free street parking (check signage before parking!)The Ugly:*Security guards are omnipresent every which way you turn. Always watching you, Wazowski. Always watching...Conclusion: Very good art museum at a reasonable price in a fantastic location.

Loved it when I went! The family fun crafts were so cute and we now knit as a past time! Finger knitting was a fun activity that everyone enjoyed.The exhibits were interactive and beautiful. Great for a date, family stroll, or anything else!

Great museum in SF. I visited the first time maybe 15 years ago when they had that King Tut exhibit going on. I hadn't been back since, but recently visited with my boyfriend a couple of months ago. They have a nice mixture of different artwork at this museum from different eras. The weekend we went they had a San Francisco fashion exhibit. My favorite section was the classical artwork, there was even a classical singer that was entertaining the visitors. If you visit, make sure you check out the observation tower, it has a stunning 360-degree panorama view of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco.

Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of StyleThis was my first time at the de Young Museum. It was a rainy weekend. While the weather was cold and terrible outside this did not stop many from visiting the museum. It was a perfect time to enjoy a museum indoors.It so happened that a fashion exhibition was featured at the museum that day. Admission fee was an additional $12 for the exhibit. I don't know a lot about the fashion world but I found the event to be fascinating. The dresses from the work of over 50 fashion designers were beautiful. I enjoyed learning about the fashion history from over the decades. My daughter and I had fun at the digital "try-on" experience in the museum. We 'tried on' three different extravagant evening ensembles from the AR mirrors and I tried on the dresses while I was fully clothed. LoL! The outfits were stunning! They are the elegant works of French designer Yves Saint Laurent, Chinese-American Bay Area-based designer Kaisik Wong, and Italian designer ValentinoUnfortunately, we did not get a chance to see the permanent exhibits since the fashion exhibit took up all the time we had before the museum closed for the day but I'm looking forward to returning again soon.It made driving to San Francisco in the rain all worth it. Review #3375

As I'm sure many of you can relate, when I was a kid, I always looked forward to class field trips to museums like the de Young. Granted, they weren't as fun as going to the zoo or the aquarium (and certainly not to places like the Exploratorium), but coming here was great - you get to walk around the whole time looking at paintings, regardless of whether or not you know anything about who/what the subject is or what they mean. The only thing that truly mattered was not being stuck in the classroom! Although, ironically enough, part of me would much rather be a kid again, sitting in class all day, rather than having to be an adult and adulting everyday.. Life was so much simpler!Now that I am an adult (sob), my trips to the de Young have been far less frequent but do come with a different level of appreciation. Rather just being happy to be here, I actually enjoy checking out all of the de Young's different pieces of artwork and exploring whatever exhibition they have going on (even if I still can't fully appreciate the nuances of the artwork). And if you look at their up coming schedule at any given time, you'll always find a relatively full slate of events on the horizon, whether they be ongoing or limited to specific dates.As for the museum itself, the current building looks nothing like the one it replaced roughly 20 years ago. Not only is it far more modern and spacious, but it's got better features to offer as well. Possibly the most prominent feature, both literally and figuratively, is the observation tower, which gives you a near panoramic view of the park immediately around the museum, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods (and beyond on a clear day). What's more, it's free to access, along with the center portion of the ground floor, the museum store, and the cafe.Despite how nice their current home is, one thing I definitely miss about the old de Young is how it used to also house the Asian Art museum. With the way the latter grew over time, it was inevitable that it would become a museum of its own (it's now down in Civic Center), but it was great being able to essentially see two museums in one place. Still, there's plenty to see here, with galleries devoted to pieces from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, as well as American art ranging from 18th century to more modern and contemporary pieces.Admittedly, I'm not a huge art buff, so part of the allure of the de Young is probably lost on me. However, I'm super appreciative and grateful that we have such a robust and well curated museum in SF. With so much to see, you could easily spend half a day, if not more, absorbing and exploring all of the different areas of this place. Plus, you don't necessarily have to pay to come here either, as they offer free admission to their permanent collections on Saturdays if you're a Bay Area resident (with valid ID/proof of residency). Not a bad way to spend a day in the city, especially if you're looking to soak in some culture or relive those childhood field trips!FOUR AND A HALF STARS rounded down.

The fam and I came here specifically to see "Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style". Great exhibit! The clothes and history behind them were amazing. Of special interest/fun was their AR exhibit. One could "try on" 3 different designer outfits. To complete our time there, we went up to the Observation Level. Great views of The City!