de Young

8/21/2012

I wish I could judge the exhibit separate from the staff  but yelp only has the one isting. 4 stars for the exhibits.

2 stars for the staff.  I don't know if it's all volunteer or paid but either way they are discourteous and insincere and smile free. This is still a business after all.

They stole my moms wheelchair even though we clearly still has things in it.  The moved our belongings to the lost and found and removed her chair. She can't stand for long periods but she can for short bursts so we put the chair next to a security agent with our bag in it and I told them we would be right back she just wanted to look at a painting closer which is hard on a crowd unless you stand... We were gone 15 minutes I went back to get the chair to take it to her and it was gone. She had to sit on the floor while I hunted our stuff. If something isn't secure with security then what the hell?

Today I tried to go to the museum and the park was blocked off. I asked the officer how I could get to the museum and she said I'd have to park and hike in. Again disabled mom. Can't hike in.

I called the museum membership number to ask them if there was another way in. The lady said I reached the ticket line and she couldn't help me. I asked to speak to someone who could help me and she said she didn't know of anyone.

Not to be detoured I drove around the park until I found an entrance. I told my story to the membership counter and the fool there smirked me off and said glibly she appreciated me telling her. In that tone that says "I hate my job and really don't care what you have to say", next I went doscent counter to tell my tale and they said they knew about it and there was nothing that could be done but would I like a comment card? I'm trying to tell them people are being turned away from thier museum and they don't seem to care. Next a lady grabbed me for a museum survey and I said sure! I told her my story and she said oh this survey isn't a place for you to vent. Would you like a comment card?

Seriously. I'm trying to help them understand people can't get in and thier own people are unwilling to help. There is nothing in it for me here. But all I got was a snobby attitude and comment card platitudes.

Well here is my comment card.

10/10/2011

Hands down one of the best art museums in the United States and on par with many in Paris when it comes to design.  

While the collection may not be quite as high quality as the Met or Chicago, the spaciousness and overall feel of each room is uncramped allowing you (and your mind) room to wander.  

Be sure not to miss the observation tower.

8/30/2011

My recent visit to the SFMOMA (yelp.com/biz/san-francis…) reminded me that I had never reviewed my prior visit to de Young, an error which I am now rectifying.

Why am I going back a few years to correct this gross oversight? Because the exhibit at the time, the life and times of one Andy Warhol, is perhaps the best exhibition I have ever seen.

The de Young, nestled perfectly into Golden Gate Park and walkable (albeit far) from Haight-Ashbury, is a wonderful way to spend part of a day. A comparator is the Guggenheim (more architectural marvel than enjoyable museum) to Central Park.

Anyways, the de Young was hosting a Warhol exhibit, and our host was a huge Warhol fan. I was skeptical (fan, I'm not). But after attending, yeah, I was impressed. The exhibit chronicled the life of Warhol, from crazy to crazier. It was a fascinating glimpse into the deranged, popcorn culture mind of a genius. At times, it made you feel sorry for him. At others, it made you want to be him. If anything, it made you want to learn more about him. That deserves a five-star round of applause.

3/30/2013

Fantastic, world class, urban museum. I had only one, tiny issue with my recent visit.

General Admission is $10 for non-member adults. Additional costs apply for special exhibits - such as the Girl With a Pearl Earring that is currently on display ($16 extra for non-member adults). If you want the audio add-on....another $7 (per headset). Since the museum is huge, you will likely stop for lunch....for 2, there's another $30. If you choose to use the parking garage under the music concourse (between de Young and the California Academy of Sciences) add another $20 - $30 depending on how long you stay. If you find some nice things to take home from the gift shop...you might spend $30 (like I did).

Bottom line: it was a $150 day at de Young. You think you could just provide me with a shopping bag for the items I purchased in the gift shop...instead of offering to sell me one for twenty-five cents?

7/13/2012

De Young is better for De Old. De Young people should go to the Academy of Sciences.

The De Young has plenty of galleries with an emphasis on Western Hemisphere art and decorative art. Unfortunately, none of the works knocked me off my feet. The organization of the works was also unsettling where periods are freely mixed. The pieces exhibited were not from top tier artists and not the best works from the artists that are represented. I hate to say the De Young is a second rate museum, but it's a step below the top museums in comparable-sized American cities and even by San Francisco standards as I prefer the Legion of Honor and the SF Museum of Modern Art.

The observation tower is nice, but the overhang is too low and I needed to hunch over to see straight out. That seems like a huge design flaw like building a car where the driver needs to duck down to see out the front window. Besides, I like the views (of water and the Golden Gate Bridge) from the Legion of Honor better.

I'm also not a fan of the building. The exterior is dark and sullen that reminds me of a militaristic stealth design. The interior layout isn't helpful either. Part of the reason it took 90 minutes to get through the exhibits was the zigzag floor plan that was hard to follow along with waiting in line for the elevators to the observation deck.

7/20/2012

The Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit was AMAZING.  I appreciate fashion but unlike my girlfriends, do not shop high end or know about all the latest runways in Paris.

This exhibit was breath taking,.  You can tell Gaultier was there putting each mannequin in its exact position.  There was such warmth and personality to the exhibit, where you felt like Gaultier created the wonderland just for you!  Many times, exhibits feel more like a place where you're suppose to worship the artist.  This was truly a gift for audiences. His fun and innovative personality really shined through his work.

A huge variety of pieces for you to walk straight up to and snap as many photos as you'd like.  The range was incredible.  From his corsets and Madonna cone bras.. to his punk/urban collection.. to fantasy pieces.. to S&M.. to evening gowns.. to men's apparel.

If you're a newb to Gaultier like I was, spend the hour to sit in on the lecture before hand.  Extremely informational and really set the tone and gave greater understanding once I walked into the actual exhibit.  

When you first buy tickets, pay attention to all the discounts! They give student discounts, and $2 off for those who arrived via MUNI.  Reg. price is $20 for museum and special exhibit.

6/26/2012

I only went to the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit that the de Young Museum had this past weekend but I was BLOWN AWAY. They had a really good set up for this amazingfantasitcalcreativecrazywonderfuleverything­goodandinspiringever queer fashion designer!!! The exhibit was great, and I really enjoyed myself. There really isn't much more I can say. De Young, ya'll did great with the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit!!! :D

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  From the Gaultier exhibit.

  From the Gaultier exhibit.
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  Gaultier teddy bears! Guess how much they cost?! $175!! They're so cute though...

  Gaultier teddy bears! Guess how much they cost?! $175!! They're so cute though...
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  From the Gaultier exhibit.

  From the Gaultier exhibit.
• See all photos from Samuel S. for de Young

2/12/2012

One of the best field trips I went to as a child in the late 70's was to the de Young for the King Tut exhibit (Oh, crap!  Did I just date myself?!?  Oh, well).  It was truly memorable.  I still count myself lucky for having seen the Death Mask of Tutankhamun in person in all its amazing glory.  It may have even been my 1st museum visit ever.  A few years back, I went down to L.A. to see the King Tut exhibit.  It wasn't as good especially since they only had a smaller replica of the mask there.  

Nowadays, with a membership in hand, I try to visit the de Young several times a year and, some of those times, I bring the nieces.  Over the past few years, we've enjoyed a wide variety of exhibits from Chihuly to Balenciaga, Impressionism to Picasso.  They even have favorites in the regular galleries like Wayne Thiebaud's Three Machines.  Plus they love following "Faultline" at the entrance way.  And we try to hit Bouquet to Arts each year.  Maybe when they grow up, they'll have fond or even great memories of these museum visits or a particular exhibit.  Hopefully they'll continue visiting museums when they are older.

However, I'm not thrilled with the limitations they've imposed on the memberships for some of the special exhibits over the past few years.  I understand that they've had to because of the costs associated with mounting some of these exhibits but that doesn't mean I have to like it!  I enjoy visiting an exhibit two or three times because its difficult to truly appreciate it in one visit and I tend to discover something new with each visit.  However, when I am limited to 4 free tickets in the membership for the entire run of an exhibit, its hard to make those multiple visits especially since I like to attend with friends!  And I couldn't believe my nieces who were younger than 12 counted as part of the four ticket allotment for the Picasso exhibit!

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  Bouquets to Art 2009

  Bouquets to Art 2009
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  Three Machines, Bouquets to Art 2007

  Three Machines, Bouquets to Art 2007

8/24/2009

I've been to the De Young twice within the last year.  This time I came to check out the King Tut exhibit.  We got into the park around noon and saw a super looooooooong line!  I pulled over and had Lester W. ask what the line was for...luckily it was for the free day at the CA Academy of Sciences...phew!  There was no way I was going to wait if that was for the De Young.  We parked the car and made our way to the museum.  

We could've bought our tickets online, but we procrastinated and just ended up buying them at the museum.  Tickets on weekdays are $27.50 and weekends are $32.50.  Since I played hookie, I got the weekday price.  What we didn't know was that you had to wait until the next available time slot to view the King Tut exhibit.  This is where buying online comes in handy....you can pick what time slot you want, so you don't have to wait around.  

The rest of the museum's exhibits were the same as when I had visited last year, so I was went through everything really fast.  I had to kill some time by getting a drink at the museum's cafe.  When our time slot came up, we lined up to find out that we had to wait in another line downstairs.  The older I get, the more I hate waiting in line...grrrrr!

The King Tut exhibit was ok.  Maybe my expectations were too high.  It seemed like a majority of the exhibit was about his family....who his parents might be..etc...etc...  Maybe I should just go to Egypt to see the real deal.  

The De Young itself is a nice little place to visit at least once in your lifetime.  On a clear day, the observation tower provides great views of the city.  I probably won't come back unless they have a really good exhibit.  And now I know to buy my ticket ahead of time, so I don't have to wait around.

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  view from the observation tower

  view from the observation tower
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  the line to see King Tut

  the line to see King Tut
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• See all photos from Patra B. for de Young

3/26/2014

The Georgia O 'Keefe exhibit this weekend at the De Young Museum was very inspiring.  The De Young is a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Don't miss the observation tower, the view is a sight to see.

11/6/2012

Happy to have a fave museum in the area!  Been to MoMA and Asian Art but this is by far my fave among the 3.  (I've been to Legion of Honor but it's been some time.)

Comments & tips:

* William Paley exhibit - impressive private collection.  We particularly liked his Gauguin and Degas paintings.  Love how marketing-savvy this place is - as you exit the exhibit, oh hello museum store with the magnets, posters, tote bags and so on of the exhibit that you just saw :)

* Rudolph Nureyev exhibit - amazing costumes.  One section of the exhibit had some costumes behind this semi-sheer fabric where they were projecting some of Nureyev's ballets, that was so cool and creative!

* general exhibit - interesting and diverse collection!  We already spent a little more than 3 hours there but I'm sure we can go back and find different items to look at.

* observation deck - free and gorgeous views!  Next to Twin Peaks, I'd bring visitors here.

* de Young is inside Golden Gate Park where you will not run out of things to do (tea garden, conservatory of flowers, botanical garden, academy of sciences)

* free every first Tuesday of the month along with special exhibits being half off which is what we availed of

* one of the benefits of going on a weekday is free street parking

7/5/2012

EDIT: Back up to 5 stars now, they removed me from the list and I stopped getting calls. It means that their customer service center is listening and I appreciate that!

I love the shows and events but this email I sent recently sums up the horror of membership.

"Hi,

My membership lapsed about a month ago. I fully intend on renewing my family membership, however, I have been displaced from my home due to an emergency evacuation for weeks. I have received multiple telephone calls (as in MULTIPLE CALLS DAILY) from 231-732-2090 about my membership renewal. This regular and scheduled disruption during an already difficult time has upset my life further. I went from loving the DeYoung and wanting to support it to hating the membership process and wanting to warn everyone against it. I think it's terrible that you would hire a service to harass your philanthropic patrons into submission until they renew their subscription or lose their mind dodging phone calls. It's shameful and the oposite of what I expected from what is an otherwise respectable and impressive organization.
Please take me off of the call list."

2/16/2013

Since moving to SF, have yet to go inside the museum. However this review is really for the observation deck. Great views of the city. Definitely a great place for a date -- wish I could rent it out for a sunset picnic with the bf!

Will be back when friends/family come to town.

12/19/2011

$6 General Admission for students! Bring your student ID.

This is a cool museum worth going to. I wasn't sure if the current exhibit, Masters of Venice, was worth it so I only did General Admission. It's $10 for everyday normal people GA. There are many interesting exhibits, some of my favorites include the George Washington portrait made of dollars, the Church made of bullets/teeth, the hand sculptures with eyes in it, and the hanging burnt wood.

There are a few places in the museum where it's pretty dark. That didn't help my sleepiness and I pretty was zombied through 40% of the exhibits.

If you just want do the tower on the 9th floor, you don't need to pay for admission. Ask someone how to get to the elevator.

I like how the cafe sells some good imported beer.

The gardens outside are probably nicer in the Spring.
Overall, cool spot to take a date and the price is not too bad.
They don't have military discount.

8/9/2013

I am a member here and attend events here.  This place is classy

12/14/2012

saw the Taste for Modernism show. Its really a wonderful place, don't forget to go to the Tower. Dont try to park on the Sunset side of the park, better chances on the other side, near 7th and Cabrilllo

5/13/2013

The best part of the museum is the exterior and the free observation level.  The collection is crap and the special exhibits are anything but, with the exception of the Musee d'Orsey collection which passed through in two stages.  That was phenomenal.  But, everything before or since has been very poorly curated.  The current show, Girl With A Pearl Earring, is a joke.  Sure the featured painting is a classic, but the rest of the collection makes very little attempt to connect the viewer with the other pieces on exhibition.  It is just a joke.

The whole museum experience is very commercial, unlike the fine museums of the world where you feel immersed in art, here one feels like they're walking through a showroom, no photography allowed!

Regarding the permanent collection, we're talking about some seriously poor taste.  It's a real challenge to find an interesting/impressive piece of art among the museum's vast permanent collection.  Considering the amount of money that went into this museum, the results are simply pathetic.  I'm embarrassed to take visitors from out of town to this 'museum.'  It simply does not belong in in a city like ours.  We deserve better.

12/7/2011

A friend and I visited the de Young to see her sister and her dance crew perform.

This was an evening performance so the experience is different from a day time visit, but the building itself is still very beautiful. The entire area itself is beautiful (very green). The only thing that blows is parking. There's plenty of space to park...but the spaces fill up very quickly when there's something going on that night in that area. It's the worst when it's Night Life at Academy of Sciences.

Anyway, the building is beautiful and the workers are nice. The de Young is worth going to but I suggest going by day for the museum itself.

8/15/2009

My trip to San Francisco to help my sister move involved us driving from place to place so she could get some furniture. That meant passing by the SF MOMA and eventually through Golden Gate Park where that was a huge line of cars waiting to drive through. I looked over to my right through the hazy SF weather and saw the De Young Museum and my Yelp events instincts took over.

"I can get into that museum for free!" I proclaimed.

I then had to explain the Bank of America museum admission promotion that I learned about while perusing the Yelp events board to my mom and sister. It made my previous outburst seem a little more sane.

It turns out my mom and I both have BOFA cards, so I was excited to try this promotion out. (yelp.com/events/los-ange…)

All the pieces of the puzzle were in line for me to milk a free ticket to this museum as A) It was the first weekend of the month and B) we just happened to need to pass through Golden Gate Park to get to my sister's apartment. Fortuitous indeed.

I love museum hopping and I was eager to check out the museum scene in SF so this was a treat for me. But I must say the lady working as a cashier was none too happy I was getting a $10 ticket for free (it's about time Bank of America did something for me besides being the single most cause of headaches and of me yelling profanities at their attempt at customer service.) The place was packed for the King Tut exhibit but unfortunately BOFA doesn't cover that...bummer.

The rest of the museum, however, was pretty interesting. It was like a mixed bag of different types of art and I never really knew what I was going to see from wing to wing. They pretty much have a little of everything from sculptures to Pop Art but the most interesting portion of the museum had to be the art from Africa and New Guinea.
Check out this picture:
yelp.com/biz_photos/RJ3N…

When I say interesting I mean it gave me the heebie jeebies.

Overall I'd go to De Young to see some things you wouldn't ordinarily see in other museums. De Young is a nice little museum that is definitely worth checking out once and I'll have to come back sometime to check out the tower with the crazy view everyone is gushing about.

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  Scary Mask

  Scary Mask

8/7/2012

I went to the de Young today because it was the first Tuesday of the month and every first Tuesday is free admission. Well, you can't beat that. So, realizing that I was in need of a little cultural enrichment, I decided to brave the traffic and drive to the museum. It was surprisingly easy to get there, for some reason, the idea of driving to de Young had been giving me heart palpitations but I'm a big girl and I went anyways. They have a convenient parking garage located right off of Fulton which is where I went. Not the cheapest parking, I paid thirteen dollars for three hours, which averages out to about four dollars an hour. Yowsers! But it's better than trying to find a metered spot somewhere around the perimeter of the park and then keeping an eye on the clock the whole time you're in the museum. So de Young. The building itself is a chic, post-modern sculpture and a pleasure to look at. The free admission got me inside but I couldn't go downstairs to the Gaultier exhibit, then again, I didn't care since I don't really even know who Gaultier is (so sue me). I especially enjoyed the Ancient Americas exhibits and the contemporary paintings and photographs. I always fantasized about being one of those ruthlessly inspired painters who is only at peace when they're throwing acrylics pell mell across a blank canvas in some rustic chateaux in southern France, wearing nothing but paint-stained coveralls and a bandanna. Alas, I will never be that kind of artist. At least by visiting de Young, I can pretend that maybe one day, I will be...
Update - I just wikied Gaultier and now know who he is.

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  De Young, chic, minimalist and post-modern...

  De Young, chic, minimalist and post-modern...

9/4/2013

Not impressed. A small museum in the golden gate park. Collections are on the modern side which are not my type, so I have gone there only once.

8/29/2011

Probably my favorite museum in California.  As an Art museum junkie, this is saying a lot.  Sure, it doesn't compare the NY (MOMA, Met, Guggenheim), but they still have some pretty solid exhibits.  The recent Picasso exhibit is definitely more interesting if you get the audio and are familiar with his more famous works that they reference (Guerra, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon).  By far the best exhibit I've seen here was the D'orsay post impressionist exhibit.  

Definitely recommend coming early to get into the special exhibit.

9/6/2010

Interesting permanent exhibits and even more interesting visiting exhibits.  I went here when they had the Tutankhamen exhibit. It was very interesting, but I was disappointed at the end of it.. I won't tell you why but if you do happen to go see the exhibit wherever it may be, don't get your hopes up..

Always check the website to see what's happening not only at the De Young but at Golden Gate Park a well.

Get there early so parking won't be an issue.  Check the website to see if they offer discounted tickets to for using public transportation.

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• See all photos from Vira P. for de Young

4/13/2011

My first experience with Golden Gate Park was during the summer of love, an experience more like a dream than reality.  Recently I returned to the park with a planned visit to the de Young rather than dreaming as my agenda.  I arrived on a rainy day.  Inside, passing by the huge windows, I could enjoy the glistening grounds outside, an almost dream like scene, not like the summer of love at all but more like a French impressionist painting.  

The contents of the de Young are certainly impressive.  Yet the people seem to hold my interest more than the art.  The children were having a great day out, oblivious to anything but freedom and space.  Small groups with a guide seemed to be learning much, maybe too much, about each item observed.  Somehow I felt more comfortable at the de Young than most museums,  I could pick just a few things to examine without a worry that I had missed something important.    

The de Young is perfect for Golden Gate Park fitting into the vibe of San Francisco, a relaxed encounter with a few wonders of art.  I liked it.

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  de Young

  de Young
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  de Young

  de Young
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  de Young

  de Young
• See all photos from Walker S. for de Young

7/28/2011

Came to the de Young for a corporate party. I don't want to focus on any one particular exhibit since they do cycle through. The museum does get some of the most top tier exhibits coming through here -- the benefit of being in a big city.

What I don't get here is a good sense of flow. There's no straight way to get through this place. There's a lot of time spent doubling back to see some of the "lesser" exhibits.

Since I was here for a party, I also got to sample the catering. It's seriously meh. It wasn't bad, but it was far from good. The dishes were unimaginative and just all runs together in blandness. I get that they want to be unoffensive, but it offended me by not having much in flavor. Even the desserts were lacking pop.

2/6/2013

The de Young doesn't have that same level of pretentiousness that often floods other museums, like the Met in New York and the MFA in Boston. That said, the collection is considerably smaller. They had a great display of African art, but also a lot of boring - and somewhat out of place, in my opinion - 19th century-era American art. They could do well purging some of that from the collection and replacing it with something more contemporary, although not so contemporary that it would belong in SFMOMA. They had some nice 20th-century stuff.

I noticed that occasionally an older piece would hang next to something more contemporary, creating a bit of dialogue between the two. This is a curatorial decision which I applaud. I've seen things like this only very rarely at other museums.

Regular adult admission is medium-pricey, considering the special exhibits cost extra, but if you take public transit they'll knock off two dollars, even on top of a student discount. I think I got in for $4.

9/6/2013

The de Young's modern collection is a good fit for kids. We checked out the 20th century collection (lots of color) and the African masks, and browsed other stuff in between. We spent an hour going through with two young kids and got a good perspective without wearing out anybody. Went on a first Tuesday so admission was free for adults (it's always free for kids), but I liked that our Muni transfers would score us a discount if we went otherwise.

We also liked the observation area--gorgeous views of the city and the park.

Why three stars? The museum was very unwelcoming to us. On the way in two guards barked orders at us about carrying a backpack (no signs are posted with rules for shoulder bags), with the second in sight of the first.  We were also barked at as we left the bag check area to leave the museum. Softening those with a simple "please" would do a world of good. The info desk staff didn't know the park very well and had no resources to answer our query for directions elsewhere in the park. Finally, museum security got upset with my kid for crawling across the wide bench. I know that kids aren't meant for everywhere and we kept them at our sides during the entire visit, but crawling across a bench? The guards just seemed so ready to yell at visitors at every turn, rather than trying to deal with us cooperatively.

7/23/2013

Closed ha ha

6/1/2011

I have so many memories here!!! Over a decade ago, I used to work here giving tours to elementary school children. (I know it's hard to believe with my foul mouth and all but I kept it clean!)
Back then, the de Young seemed so much .... bigger.
I miss the staff entrances and walking around behind the scenes seeing things being put together.

Anywho.

After the revamp.. I like the modern look and feel of it but the museum feels so cold to me now. Still, I love it for the special exhibits they bring.

I think it's well worth your money to come for a special exhibit then roam the rest of the museum afterward.

I have come for: King Tut, Yves Saint Laurent and most recently, Balenciaga & Spain.
The King Tut exhibit I felt was a rip-off. It toured various other cities where people actually got to see King Tut's tomb. San Francisco? It was just a 3-d hologram of his tomb and not many of his own artifacts were even displayed! I hyped it all up to my youngest brother and everything because we are both fascinated by this stuff.
YSL - LOVED IT.
Balenciaga & Spain? I could eat fashion for lunch.

11/5/2012

Great exhibits. People in the bay need to drop by here every couple of years.

9/2/2012 Updated review

Came here with my gf on a SF day trip.

Compared with my last visit, there were fewer exciting exhibits, and we managed to walk through everything in only an hour or so.

Observation tower is still nice (no line and no staff directing elevators this time), but the collection was rather disappointing.

7/18/2010

The Pre-impressionist exhibit was a teaser... can't wait for the second series of that exhibit! It was pretty darn crowded on a Friday at noon, despite the time allotments on the tickets. It didn't help that there was a docent giving off facts and leading a humongous crowd around the exhibit. They had a few of the favorite classics, but I enjoyed them more in Paris (ahh, but who wouldn't?)
I was a little disappointed at the African masks (second floor) because it had only a few specific countries, and neglected most of Southern Africa.
The Chihuly's glass work downstairs was pretty and I enjoyed the weaves by Awasa by the elevators. The view from the top of the tower is scenic, but best viewed on a sunny day!
Forget finding parking, and take the muni 5 all the way in.

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  basket

  basket

4/12/2012

Pretty bad customer service for ticket sales.
No one picks up the phone on weekend  with no mention that they are actually closed on weekend, you just keep getting to a switchboard that rings forever. The website/ordering system  is archaic.
When I needed to change a date to visit the museum i had to jump through multiple hoops with the customer service and finally reached a supervisor named Chris who treated me like i was trying to scam them, asked 100 questions about why i needed to change, if i read their policy on no refunds etc.
Anyway, he relented when i pressed and said i would ask my credit card  company to request a charge back. He finally let me exchange the day i'd visit the museum from one Saturday to another, but not before charging me a exchange fee and giving me a spiel about how they are doing me a HUGE favor.

9/3/2012

The de Young museum is a nice, established museum to visit while in in the bay area.  I have been to many of San Francisco's museums and this has been one of my favorites.  Upon entering you are greeted by a large and impressive collection of Tree Ferns surrounded by moss and rock streams These are contained within a multi-level glass enclosed viewing which is open to the sky above.  You walk past these transitioning to/from the upper and lower levels. The bay winds easy whip the ferns to and from - inspiring.

As for collections, I'm a fan of the American Decorative Arts which has renowned pottery samples of Schmidt from Rookwood and Sicard from Weller and a few splendid pieces by Louis Comfort Tiffany.   It's one thing to see them on TV, quite a another to see them up close.

The special exhibition:  Real to Real: Photographs from the Traina Collection was a nice surprise as I have a photographic background and I've not seen these works prior.

The wire and shadow sculptures which are located on the way to the observation  tower are by Ruth Asawa.  These are quite impressive when you consider the intricate nature of the pieces coupled to the shadows projected onto the wall.

The special surprise at de Young is the observation tower which allows one a 360 degree view of the surrounding areas as well a a nice look down onto the copper facade museum below.  From here, it's awesome to see the Tree Ferns location, the rocks at the irregular pentagon entrance and even the details worked into the buildings roof... and how all these fit the building and surrounding grounds into an special exhibit of their own - nice touch!

I recommend taking the MUNI as one gets $2 off of admission while also getting a nice stroll through Golden Gate Park.  It also alleviates parking hassles which are  quite evident on the weekends - especially the nicer ones!

8/21/2011 Updated review

I don't know who put together the audio tour for the picasso exhibit, but whoever it is should get some sort of museum academy award, it was THAT GOOD.

going to the picasso exhibit without audio tour = blind bat feeling for ants in the hay. going WITH the audio tour = seeing angels frolic in 3D.

2/19/2013

If you visit SF you should go to the De Young museum. It's in the Golden Gate Park close to the Academy of Sciences. A unique building and a great collection. It's an exceptional experience to have in the G.G. Park. whenever I need to get away and be in peace this is one of the places i go to.
Also take advantage of the first free Tuesday of the month as well at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco aka the deYoung and the Legion of Honor.
PS. the ticket covers the Legion of Honor visit.

8/7/2012

What a lovely fine art museum! I say museum and not gallery because there are more than just paintings here and several displays are interactive.

Like many, I came here primarily for the Jean-Paul Gaultier special exhibit, but I was also interested in the regular exhibits. I love fashion and I'm thrilled that I moved to SF just in time to see the first-ever showcase of Gaultier's entire body of work right before it leaves North America. The exhibit runs until August 19 and I highly recommend checking it out even if you think high fashion/haute couture is not your thing. The breadth and depth of Gaultier's creativity is astonishing. His use of non-traditional fabrics in couture garments (denim, wool, etc. overlaid on silk tulle and chiffon in evening gowns, for example) is remarkable. His impact on modern culture is legendary--Madonna's cone bras, the corset dress, the use of shark skin, are just some of his famous contributions to the world of fashion. He is the genius who inspired future designers like Alexander McQueen (whose fashion exhibit at the Met last year was also breathtaking).

The rest of the art at the de Young spans many styles, eras and cultures. There's pretty much something for everyone with the exception of pre-18th century paintings. There aren't very many of those. However, you can find everything from Chihuly to African art to Native American artifacts to colonial-era furniture to a cute little sculpture garden where you can let the kids run free while you sip tea on a beautiful patio.

My favorite pieces at the museum:

Cornelia Parker, "Anti-Mass": An incredible abstract sculpture with an amazing interplay of lines and angles

Flora C. Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick, "Watercatcher": Fantastic use of ordinary materials

Howard Ben Tre, "The Lightness of Being #4": Gorgeous color in a classically-shaped sculpture that evokes images of bygone cultures or magical fantasy worlds

Karen LaMonte, "Dress 3": An amazing way to showcase a dress, especially after viewing the Gaultier exhibit. And let's face it, the cast glass is pretty

Gustavo Grunewald, "The Niagara River at the Cataract" and "Horseshoe Falls from Below the High Bank": A lovely, simple painting of the Falls

Gottardo F. P. Piazzoni, "The Sea": At first glass, this might not seem all that interesting, but stare at it for a few minutes and you will feel an incredible sense of serene calm

Admission to the museum is free the first Tuesday of every month and special exhibits (like the Gaultier one) are reduced price ($10 instead of $20). Unfortunately, today is the last free admission day before the Gaultier exhibit ends, but regardless, it's still worth checking out the museum.

TIP: Walk or take the bus to the museum instead of driving/biking. Walking through Golden Gate Park's lush flowers, trees and vegetation is the perfect way to whet your spiritual appetite before enjoying all the art at the museum.

1/3/2014

Super.

8/14/2013

Loved this museum!!! Saw the King Tut exhibition here it was amazing the museum was gorgeous!!!! Great place!me and my woman loved the De Young!

8/1/2013

Great Friday night party and music.