San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMa) Reopens

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Located at 151 3rd street, San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art, otherwise known as SFMoMa, reopened its doors on May 14th after three years undergoing a world-class $305 million privately-funded renovation. Only a 45-minute drive from Menlo Park, a cultural daytrip to SFMoMa is an ideal way to enjoy all the Silicon Valley has to offer.

Home of over 33,000 modern and contemporary works including photography, sculpture, painting, media arts and architecture, the museum was the first of its kind on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art. With 170,000 square feet of exhibition space, SFMoMa is one of the largest museums in the United States and one of the principal modern art museums in the world.

Almost a quarter-century ago, the original SFMoMa was designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta while the new addition was the brainchild of award-winning international architectural firm Snøhetta. The expansion has tripled the square footage dedicated to gallery space and offers close to six times as much public space as was previously available. With its undulating exterior, the new building has an organic appearance designed to mimic the infamous San Francisco fog. Inside, there is an immense living wall, bonding the outdoor environment with the interior.

With 45,000 square feet of free public space bursting with contemporary artwork including Richard Serra’s ‘Sequence’, an impressive, curvaceous metal sculpture, you can immerse yourself in culture without even purchasing a ticket. But it is worth the price of admission (those 18 and younger are always free) to see the museum’s complete exhibition, including the permanent The Fisher Collection, the private collection of Gap founders, Doris and Donald Fisher that includes over 12,000 works of abstract, pop, minimal and figurative works. Through September, the museum will be spotlighting the work of infamous pop artist, Andy Warhol with a guided gallery conversation focusing on many of Warhol’s pieces.  

SFMoMa’s public spaces open at 9am daily while the remainder of the galleries are open daily from 10am to 5pm with extended evening hours Thursdays until 9pm. It is highly recommended to purchase tickets online in advance.