de Young

4/21/2014 Updated review

I love San Francisco on holiday weekends, especially before 2 pm. Either everyone leaves town or people just stay at home. Regardless, it makes for a way less crowded experience.

An extra bonus? Saturday was a KQED member day, which meant complimentary admission for two! That membership has already paid for itself. Tickets for two adults on a saturday would cost about $50-60, so yeah, consider donating to your local NPR station.

If you're a Georgia O'Keefe fan, go see the latest exhibit, which runs until May. They have a few floral paintings, but a majority are comprised of lesser known subject matter, like apples and Lake George, an upstate NY retreat. It's hard to believe that her primary material was acrylic, as a lot of her work looks like watercolor.

My love for de Young has been restored! Yay!

4/14/2014

This is really rather a review of the artwork rather than the building itself. Don't get me wrong I love the top level observation deck....the views are spectacular.

However the artwork is just meh. Yeah the Georgia O'Keffe was pretty outstanding but the rest was mediocre and very disparate. Really just a mish mash of wealthy donor's pieces,

If your showing me kadinsky....kill me with a load of his works not a single piece.

The pieces on exhibition are not major pieces and not great pieces to begin with.

I much rather go to the Asian Art Museum or the Modern Art Museum in San Fran.

1/18/2015

I went to the DeYoung yesterday to see the Keith Haring exhibit, and decided to take the time afterwards to check out the rather extensive African and SE Asian art collections the museum houses. Here's how the DeYoung decided to curate the collections: You walk up a staircase to a large picture window which forces you to turn left or right. Turn to the left, and you see a dark room with a solitary Dogon (Mali) statue of a woman. The rest of the gallery is obscured by walls and darkness. Turn to the right and you see two galleries, one bathed in light and featuring a large oil painting of a waterfall, the other dark. Well, guess I'll just turn all the way around and see several brightly lit galleries containing brightly colored art from post-Columbian America.

The art in the African and SE Asian collections is mostly wood and iron sculptures and ceremonial pieces, durable works which I am assuming could stand the light of day (or at the very least, artificial light), whereas the delicate oil paintings from 18th century America require special care to prevent peeling and erosion. Nonetheless, the shades are drawn on the non-Western galleries and the shades are wide open on the Western ones (the same principles also apply on the main floor, where the pre-Columbian American art is similarly draped in darkness).
What message are you sending, DeYoung? Is Africa a dark, scary place devoid of people (because there was NO ONE in any of the non-Western galleries, while the well-lit, Western galleries were teeming with crowds)? The curation also left something to be desired, with all the placards referencing stale art critiques about how little "we" know about the art, but that it probably references "gods" or "traditions."

If a big chunk of your collection is non-Western art, why would you actively work to make it inaccessible by plunging it all in darkness, unless to make a larger cultural point about art? The "3 Hours in the DeYoung" brochure that highlights the "must-sees" indicates only one piece from the extensive African collection to see, the solitary Dogon figure that is the FIRST piece in the collection from the main entrance, so that you can quickly glance at it from the atrium before heading back into the light (a similar treatment of SE Asia is also accomplished). Meanwhile, there are many, many must-sees from the other half of the collection, that from post-Columbian America (in all those well-lit spaces, no less!)

The absolute crown of this whole enterprise was the enormous painting in the post-Columbian America section that faces the SE Asian collection (from a well-lit space). It features a large scene of "explorers" landing upon a shore full of indigenous Pacific Islanders while some puritanical folks arrive on a boat. ARE YOU SERIOUS? You have a wildly colonial depiction of what probably is a precursor to outright genocide, conveniently juxtaposed next to your large collection of art from Papua New Guinea. What. The. FUCK.

1/17/2015

I am a museum professional so I tend to judge museums keenly.  The art is of course beautiful and displayed in a lovely space. The cafe and store staff were very friendly and helpful.  The person at the front desk was not very friendly but he wasn't horribly rude so we managed.  I always wish art museums would explain the art we're looking at beyond the basic label info but there wasn't a lot of that going on. It was a very nice art museum experience on a rainy afternoon.

10/17/2014

Rosalia is an awful person.  She is a master at deceiving people. . She only gets to work there because of her husband.
She will be rude to you and make sure your bad review cards don't get turned in. What she does is she'll have all the staff make up names and reviews and turn those in instead. I've seen her do that and worse. 75 % of the time she's drunk at work anyway.  Lucas I wish him the best! Great man. Unfortunately he doesn't know the snake he married.

6/1/2014

Enjoyed the museum. Lots of cool things to look at. The collection is not as extensive but it is enough to get you walking and looking for a good couple of hours. I want to say plan at least 2-3 hours here. What I love the most is the observatory- 360 degree view of San Francisco. What a view! Also, I really appreciate the architecture of the building. It is brilliant! Super cool and out of this world. Carefully and meticulously built. I appreciate every detail. From the outside, it looks like a very big box.

Lastly, we thought that the security guards here were kind of jerks. Every single one of them insists not to take a single sip of my bottled water or at least not in front of the security guards. "Please keep the bottled water out of sight," one of their guards told us.

3/9/2014

I moved to the Bay Area in 1984, when the previous building here was the De Young on the right side and the Asian Art Museum on the Left.  I visited the museum several times during that era and returned when the new architecturally distinctive building opened up. That included at least one nice lunch at their cafe, outside under a distinctive overhang.

Gayle and I returned to the De Young last Friday to see the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit that focused on her Lake George NY days. Gayle and I previously had the pleasure of visiting the Georgia O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe and later driving out to Abiquiu to see where she lived. New Mexico truly is the Land of Enchantment and this trip to the De Young provided a left bookend to our appreciation of her work.

Our admission ticket allowed us to continue on into other parts of the De Young, but we opted to savor the dedicated Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit space below and leave intrigued and wanting for more. Gayle and I look forward to coming back to experience another slice of the fine art that San Francisco has to offer.

4/6/2014

The building was bustling when we arrived and by the time we left the garage management had installed two full time employees to aid visitors trying pay for parking. Inside, the museum felt huge and noisy. Headphones were available for self-guided touring. The sunny cafeteria with outdoor patio had a variety of sandwich options and the line there was well-managed. Even the gift shops were well run, with interesting books, jewelry and reproduction art. What disappointed me was the exhibit.

I don't know why the museum staff constructed a time-limited Georgia O'Keeffe showing which focused on her early painting around the Hudson River Valley. It looked little like her final works and did not highlight the creative process that changed her into a great artist.  Extracting a snippet from any artist's life leaves an incomplete impression and I would describe the show as lackluster. In my opinion, the most fascinating story a fine arts museum gets to tell is a narrative/visual about the gradual development of talent in one unique individual.

Through personally observing the unfolding of the creative process young people are often drawn to try art. There were many teens in the crowd, but that was not the message conveyed.  A few decades of an artist's early works is only a fragment of their career. It is the shifts, the failed attempts and the final evolution which fascinates us, demonstrates perseverance and culminates in self-expression. That is what intrigues many of us. Judging by the volume of visitors, it's unfortunate that the museum failed to include examples of the artist's work all the way until late in her career. Color me magenta and green.

3/23/2014

Psst, guys, let me introduce you to a failsafe date idea.  This place exudes the tone and class you want to bring to a first (second or even third) date.  It's elegant and special but not too pretentious/boring.  In fact, they have some pretty interesting exhibits from Gaultier to Georgia O'Keefe.  Their regular exhibits are nice too, plus you can also take a breather at the little cafe next door.  And if things are going really well, you have all of Golden Gate Park to explore.  My one caveat is that the exhibits aren't cheap, especially the temporary special exhibits.  If you think you'll regularly enough, it pays to become a member or scout out discount tickets if possible.

Parking is hit or miss on the street.  There's a lot nearby, but that can get expensive too as it's also for the Science Museum.

12/27/2014

We were really impressed with this museum.  It's gorgeous.  The observation tower is unique.  The museum is world class. We saw and enjoyed the Keith Haring exhibit.  We put a dent in the American artwork on the second floor before becoming museumed out.  I would happily return.

3/13/2014

On a rainy weekday morning, we stumbled in from the cold to the coldness of modern art design. Seriously, this is one of the more beautiful museums I've been to, and aside from the impressive collection there are several spots to sit and enjoy the serenity of the space. One spot in particular with a long bench looking out of the sculpture garden was so peaceful & tranquil...that is, until a raging band of middle school kids talking at the top of their voices disturbed the quiet.

One thing that disturbed my wife was the Native American art that uses real fur. I tried to explain about a culture that actually revered & used every part of the animal, but in her mind there should have been Intuit activists throwing red paint...

4/1/2014

On the first day of every month, general admissions to the museum is free. This doesn't include access to the special exhibits, which are extra charge. It is closed on Mondays. Every other day of the month, general admissions is typically $10 for adults. I am unsure of the other age groups, but the website is very helpful in providing you with this information. I would highly recommend visiting if you haven't already. It's a very chic museum with 20th century contemporary artwork from sculptures to portraits. I think this museum does a particularly good job in organizing certain pieces because each room displays art that fits a cohesive theme.

One room that might be special to locals was the room that showed the building of the Bay Bridge. It explained that it was more costly and larger in length than the Golden Gate Bridge. As one might reason, this took the collaboration of architects, engineers, contractors, etc. Thus, it was a big project that took years to complete. It was, by far, the most ambitious bridge project in the West. I think the art in this room allows one to appreciate the hard work it took to build such a masterpiece that sets the Bay Area apart from other areas in California.

I think that this place will definitely leave you feeling inspired. I look forward to visiting it again-- hopefully, in the near future.

2/6/2014 Updated review

The Hockney exhibit was five star.  My parents were begging me to go eat after 3 1/2 hours.  With all the iPad/iPhone videos and time exposures there was just a ton of content in addition to many types of paintings.  If I'd had more time before the exhibit closed, I would have loved to go back.  I know I'm not alone, as I know of several people who saw it three times.

The audio for the exhibit didn't live up to what we've come to expect and the exhibit layout on multiple floors/unattached spaces was awkward.  Still those things and the fact that it was packed on a Friday morning couldn't take away from the fabulousness of the show.

1/8/2014

Yeah, the tower is glorious but... $30 admission, which doesn't even include special exhibits?!? Way to get the 99%'s panties all in a ruffle.

Be sure to attend on the Bank of America free days, which will get your free admission and $10 off any special exhibits when you show your B of A card. Only downside is that everyone AND their mother AND her brother attend on these days too. Can you blame them?

The regular exhibits are fine, but tower is the highlight. You can enjoy a remarkable panoramic view of SF from up there -- a cool place to propose, or even have a party (I've heard you can rent it out).

3/9/2014

Awesome museum in the scenic Golden Gate Park!  De Young has many great exhibits and very knowledgable staff.  I especially loved the observation deck, it had a beautiful view.  

I came here a little while ago for the Georgia O Keefe exhibit, which was fantastic!  I have also been to their Picasso exhibit.  Overall the museum very well organized, with nice combinations of different artwork that can appeal to everyone. I can't wait to come back!

8/20/2013

I am not even a museum person and I love this place.

First of all, the architecture and the design of the building alone is amazing.  Inside the museum, it is divided into various sections with different themes, such as a featured artist, photography, oil paintings, geographic/regional, ethnic, ancient as well as the most contemporary.

Honestly, I don't know art that well, but I'll post some pictures to give you an idea of the diversity and variety of exhibits there.

I was particularly impressed by the glassware exhibits; an amazing parade of glass sculptures in pastel colors, which took my breath away -- a requirement to earn 5 stars in my book.

The museum staff was all courteous, friendly and helpful.  One gentleman in particular, offered to take a picture for both of us and even showed us some "tricks" in photography.
 
The entire layout of the exhibits was very spacious and comfortable.  Even on a crowded Saturday afternoon in summer, the place does not feel crowded.  You almost always have plenty of personal space around you to enjoy the exhibits.

I don't even like museums and I love this place.  That's awesome!

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• See all photos from Rob L. for de Young

7/20/2014

Tourist tip - you can go into the museum tower for no charge and enjoy one of the best views in the city.  Just walk in the main entrance and go to the right and follow the signs to the tower.  It's completely legit.  

Otherwise, $10 to get into the museum and $14 more for special exhibits.  Given those rates, I give them four stars for letting the public use the tower at no charge.

4/14/2014

One of the highlights of anyone's visit to SF - the totally free observation deck is a 360 view about 11 stories high. On a clear day you can see clear across the bay in all directions.

The museum itself is also very interesting. If you're a Bank of America customer, you can come in for free on the first weekend of every month. Always full of interesting art - my favorite has to be the Tribal area with all the crazy masks and tribal art.

3/12/2014

The admission prices are insane.  I would not pay full price.  There are ways around it such as Museum on Us by BOA or going to the Legion of Honor first.

Special exhibits are an extra cost, so come prepared.  

It's exhausting and almost impossible to see everything in one shot.

The tours they give here should really be taken advantage of.  

They have a good and wide expansion of exhibits.  

Very interesting to me was the African exhibit.  They had a coffin in the shape of a coffee and REAL skulls...CREEPY!

5/14/2014

As an art historian, I love this museum, but it's not the city's greatest collection. It features a lot of lesser-known artists from the 19th and 20th centuries.

I think my kids' favorite part is the observation deck--a top floor with floor-to-ceiling windows that gives you a panoramic view of the whole city. It's on the very right side of the museum when you walk in the main doors.

And it's FREE the first Tuesday of every month.

1/11/2014

The security guards at the De young are some of the best dressed security guards in the city. That really doesn't matter much when they are telling people that the special exhibit is no photography over and over and over.

The De Young was rebuilt as a result of earthquake damage to the old building. The New building is really well laid out. The special exhibit space has a different look and feel every time they change it around. The rest of the floor plan flows well as you walk around and check everything out.

The tower is a great sidetrack. With a 360 view around the city I can get lost looking out those windows for a long time. Its a good thing they don't serve drinks up there, people would never leave.
The exhibitions are amazing. The permanent collections are solid with an indeclinable strength in American Art.n

The Special exhibits are the main thing that draw me in. My advice is to go early, very early as it gets really crowded in the afternoon.

Sometimes (it can be a rare) you can find discount tickets for special exhibits at costco.

12/19/2014

I usually come here several times a year, so yes, Yay! I'm a fan. The de Young has a unique design with the galleries all over the place. This encourages wandering, and the museum offers several unique exhibits throughout the year. Its location in Golden Gate Park is also a plus offering a lot of picnic and walking options before or after your visit.

1/24/2014

This is my date spot.  If my dates doesn't like this place, then I probably won't like her -- having an appreciation for art and an openness to new things is a desired quality for long term, sustaining relationship.

If you don't want to fight for parking, then you can park in the garage for $3/hr.  If you can take Muni or the bus here, I would advice to do that instead (especially on weekends).  

The cost of "general" admission is $10.  Extra costs are added for each exhibition that is not included in the general admission.  They can very from an extra $10-$20 per exhibition.  Unless you're dying to see a specific exhibition, the general admission will cover about 70% of the entire Museum.  

If you do not have the $10 for the admission, then come on the first Tues of every month and you'll be going in for free.  

Admission Chart:
Adults                $10
Seniors 65+         $7
Youths 13-17 $6
College students with valid ID $6
Children 12 and under         Free
First Tuesday of the month Free (special exhibition fees still apply)
FAMSF members Free
Audio tour          $7 ($6 FAMSF members)

Your bags will be searched prior to entrance.  So keep your pharmaceuticals and grenades at home.  

Photography is allowed in most areas.  Certain exhibitions are not allowed, and there is a guard there, so don't even think about a quick snap.

The place is beautiful.  Visit it, you won't regret it.

2/22/2014

I didn't know if we'd have time to visit De Young on our last trip to SF. It seemed like a cool place! I'm glad we had time and found a way to get to it. It's situated in the beautiful Golden Gate Park. We took the bus #5, got off, crossed the street and here we were in Golden Gate Park (huge park that hosts other museums, gardens, etc that we'd like to visit some other time).  There are signs everywhere for De Young, we got there in a minute.  The museum's building has a great, modern look to it.

It took us around 3 hours to visit the permanent collection (didn't have time for the Hockney exhibit) which is wonderful, especially the 2nd floor dedicated to the older civilizations and arts of Africa, Oceania, New Guinea (the most extensive collection we've seen). They have also a great collection of modern art, especially North American. If you want classic art, go to Legion of Honor, if you want modern art, De Young is your destination.
If you have time, you have to check out the Observation Deck, it's enclosed, an elevator takes you up there. There are stunning views of the city you can enjoy from every angle.

The staff is nice and helpful. Opened Tuesday through Sunday- 9:30 am to 5:15 pm. Admission is $10. $2 off if you show proof that you used public transportation. You can get in for free if you already visited Legion of Honor earlier that day or it's the 1st weekend of the month and you have a Bank of America card.

I really loved this place, I'm so glad we were able to get to it. Another great museum in SF.

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  view across the museum

  view across the museum
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  from deck

  from deck
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  View-deck

  View-deck
• See all photos from Jo S. for de Young

12/31/2013

The de Young is one of my favorite museums in San Francisco.
It's a good mix of styles that will appeal to art lovers of all ages, there truly is something for everyone.

There is a variety of exceptional pieces in the permanent collection.
Ruth Asawa, Rembrandt, Diego Rivera are among those featured.
Works vary in styles and time period. They do have modern art as well as textiles, decorative art, African art, sculpture, photography, mixed media and classic paintings.

The special exhibits are worth the extra cost on top of admission.  Currently, the Art of Bvlgari and Hockney are in rotation. If you buy the Hockney exhibit you also get admission into Bvlgari if it's not sold out.  Special exhibits often sell out during holidays and weekends.  
Get tickets in advance or first thing in the morning to avoid the sell out.  Typically photography is not allowed in the special exhibits.  

The two story gift shop has some nice trinkets, books and posters.  There are also gift stands outside of the special exhibit.  The cafe has decent food and is as expected over priced. If you have the option, grab lunch on 9th avenue before or after.

Finish your visit with a trip up to the tower to see a 365 degree view of the city.
There is paid parking in the garage but it can sell out on the weekends.
Street parking is also available with a 4 hour limit during the week.
Arrive before noon on the weekends and you typically won't have to fight too hard for parking.

9/26/2014

We had a bit of trouble finding the entrance because from the outside, the main doors are off to the side behind this courtyard area with stone blocks. They didn't have a sign or anything saying "entrance this way".

We were here for about 2 and a half hours because there is just a lot to see. The second floor had the most stuff but I liked the things on the first floor the best (especially the Mesoamerican art).

There were security guards in every room (probably to remind people not to touch or sit on any of the artwork) and we got scolded by a crabby old security lady for standing too close to an art piece. We were looking at a picture of George Washington made out of  over 200 $1 bills and it was behind half inch glass so I don't see why we had to stand 2 feet back. She had no issue with us getting really close to the Rembrandt painting the dollar bill piece was modeled after (which I assume is more valuable and for some reason not behind glass or any sort of protective casing).

The gallery in the lower level with the Modernism exhibit was a huge waste of money. We paid $11 extra per ticket and spent all of 2 minutes down there. They were trying to market the exclusivity of the art pieces considering that they haven't been to too many other places, apparently. But the subject matter wasn't to my liking. Looking at a bunch of colored squares and squiggly lines reminds me of my own artwork from the 1st grade. We were told that we had to wear these stickers when we were going to the exhibit but the guy at the entrance only wanted to see our actual tickets and ignored the stickers. Funny thing was, nobody else in the exhibit was wearing the stickers.

11/22/2014

"The DeOld was so much BETTER than the DeYoung." or "Honey where did you park the Battleship?"

If you are a native San Franciscan or even a transplant like myself chances are that you remember the DeYoung in its classic, symmetrical, real museum form. If you are a normal person with a non warped sense of aesthetics you will remember that the old museum was much better and more harmonious as an architectural feature of the park and was much more pleasant as an exhibition venue.

Since the damage incurred in the 1989 earthquake some demented mind  decided  it was a "fabulous" idea to further the scar and  to replace San Francisco's beloved fine art  museum with a lopsided monument to a rusty, holey, battleship as interpreted by a drugged out architect with a Star Destroyer fetish. The building is an absolute travesty of gimmickry and weird odes to Dr. Suess as executed in perforated copper sheeting. As a classically trained architect/artist I find the entire thing to be a sort of egotistical expression of aesthetic rape by some Swiss nutcase who decided to erect a copper monument to his nation's cheese in Golden Gate Park. The "modern" museum already looks dated and like a gimmick/practical joke that fell flat with no hope of recovery. If interpreted artistically it can be seen as as  a politically offensive testament to WWII and the Doolittle Raid since it looks just like an aircraft carrier pointed at the ever so charming and blessedly traditional and  non modernized Japanese Tea Garden.

And now for the interior and the exhibits. Entering the old DeYoung was a treat for the senses, the reflecting pool, the stately tower, the grand entrance and such had the charm and old world beauty of a museum from an Indiana Jones movie, Now the entrance is through a dark, dank hole that has all the charm and grandeur of a banana republic airport. We visited in the rain and were treated to an extra dose of visually depressing. If you are looking for the reflecting pool it has been relocated at least in some sort of broken and mangled reinterpretation to the side of the crooked, holey ship.

Architecturally speaking the building is an exercise of rubbish ergonomics, wasted space and stairs that hurt even the most fit of ankles and knees. The established exhibits are as always great but seem to be smaller and less grand than what used to be there before. The changing/visiting exhibits are definitely a hit and a miss. For each "Girl with the Pearl Earring" "Pre Raphealites( more of those please)" or "King Tut" or "Maya" exhibit we get forced to stomach something like the current Keith Haring travesty or a double dose of Hockney. Sorry but as one of only two fine art museums in the city there should not be several months of family unfriendly exhibits such as the Haring travesty. 80s pop art with pornographic imagery ( devils engaged in oral sex) does not belong at the DeYoung. Museums should be a venue for ALL AGES to learn from the accomplishments of the past and not to be mentally warped by the imagery of some infantile, pretentious "artist" of highly debatable "talent".  These are exhibits that already have a venue called the MOMA and for each Hockney/Haring type of thing that shows up at the DeYoung I am wondering how many John Singer Sargent or Anders Zorn exhibits show up at the MOMA? If they do perhaps I will switch museum allegiances.  That said there is a reason I am not a member at the MOMA and that is because I do not like modern art but I respect that people do and that they have that museum to fulfill that need. Please respect us, the classical art enthusiasts by not wasting our precious memberships on exhibits that belong in a completely  different venue. Rock concerts do not belong in the Opera house and Opera does not belong in a rock venue, same with visual art.

I am giving it 2 stars since I ADORE some of the permanent art also love many of the visiting exhibits but would love less stuff like Haring and more classics. The staff is generally AMAZING and wonderful but then that is the nature of museum people in general and they deserve the credit tenfold. The location is beautiful but sadly the building is abhorrent at best. Also as a European transplant to SF I have to say the prices here to visit a museum or the Academy are OUTRAGEOUS !! Apparently it all used to be free until the 80s. Yay" Progress" !!

1/9/2014

Some of the best exhibits have been here and I absolutely love this place.

I think all of the previous reviews pretty much cover it. This is a great place to bring people from out of town and who are into art. But even if your are not an artsy fartsy type, I think you'd still enjoy walking around and checking out some  of the cool creations.

8/18/2013

I came on a weekday afternoon and found a four hour parking spot walking distance from de Young within Golden Gate Park. There's plenty of free parking in Golden Gate Park so don't bother paying to park in the garage. I love the trees and fountains in front of this museum. This museum faces the California Academy of Sciences.

I'm a huge fan of art and walking through this museum was relaxing and fun. Admission is $10 and includes admission to the Legion of Honor about two miles away. The museum has two floors and there is plenty to see including some well-known artists like Chihuly.

Make sure not to miss the observatory of the ninth floor for some great views of San Francisco! This part of the museum is free so you can go up there any time.

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  View from the ninth floor

  View from the ninth floor
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• See all photos from Karen L. for de Young

8/17/2014

For my birthday, we were going to random places in the Golden Gate Park after visiting the CA Academy of Sciences and then came across this museum. They charge for the art exhibits but the tower itself is free. So we went for the tower. The elevator takes us 9 stories and shows us the San Francisco Bay! It's really nice and the view is definitely beautiful. Since it was free of charge, it was really worth it! ;)
I'd go again!

6/4/2014

i could spend all day here. unfortunately i wasn't with people who wanted to spend all day here. the best part about de young is being able to get up close to paintings to admire the fine hair-thin valleys of each brush stroke or purposeful scrape off the canvas... the human hairs on hundred year old african masks... the wear and tear on century old furniture... smooth, flawless marble statues.

i'll be back soon to spend a day at the museum by myself ;).

6/22/2014

We all agreed this was the best museum of our month long road trip. The exhibits were incredibly interesting themselves, but the atmosphere made it easy to enjoy. It's the kind of museum I like- not too cramped, substantial amount of things to look at, natural light, good architecture. We just did general admission, and the American modernism collection was great, a very unique focus exposing us to a different perspective from that era. Of course, the observation deck is not to be missed.

Ticket prices were an excellent value. I didn't have my student ID card so they just accepted a .edu email address. $6 for an lovely afternoon in the park? I knew this whole education thing would pay off!

12/18/2013

If you live anywhere in the Bay Area of Northern California, the de Young Museum is a must-see. Again, and again, and again. The exhibits are varied and interesting, with ingenious installations that are art in themselves.

This particular visit was to see the David Hockney exhibit, with his fabulous paintings and drawings. There was a large selection of paintings that he moved from his iPad to large canvases. Amazing!

The David Hockney exhibit is one of many memorable experiences I've had at the de Young over the years. If you haven't been there yet, you're missing something!

And, by the way, don't forget to eat at the museum restaurant. The variety is excellent and, if the weather is good, there is outside seating where you can view the beauty of San Francisco while you eat.

5/5/2014

I'm an East Coast girl, so I'm spoiled by the Smithsonian for sure. On a recent visit to SF, we paid $26 per adult to see the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit. $26! Hello, I'm used to free. But Georgia O'Keefe is worth it, so that's not my real issue.

We went in through security, bought tickets, went through the ticket check at the entrance to the exhibit, and then about 100' feet into the exhibit, an employee comes RUNNING over to us, and tells us we have to exit because jogging strollers aren't allowed. There were strollers everywhere. But JOGGING strollers evidently are a big no no. Nobody said anything at any of the three points before, including when we paid. We saw no signs. And nobody could explain why. We went to coat check as directed to check the stroller, unpacked everything... do you know how much stuff you have packed in a stroller with a baby? lol. And then we were told we couldn't leave it there either, we had to get security to check it into a closet. Where there would be no ticket. And they weren't sure where it was. At that point, I was beyond fed up.

Only high point - with a manager's help, we got our money back.

Seeing art shouldn't be so hard.

1/20/2015

I don't recommend this museum.  No art of any significance.  Few street signs, so hard to find your car.  And whose idea was it to name a street after Nancy Pelosi.  Museum itself was a waste of time.  A lot of the art had no reason to be in a museum.

5/6/2013

I got to see the girl with the pearl earring!

My brother is a huge Rembrandt fan. Visited the museum with him one evening and really learned a lot about Rembrandt and his paintings from him. This museum is gorgeous and located in a huge park. It's an awesome exhibit with great paintings and sculptures. You have got to have a passion for art to really enjoy the museum or else everything will just be senseless. Be sure to take the elevators up to the ninth floor at the tower for a great view of the city.

If you see the blown glass art called "It's Still Alive" - it's a my favorite.

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  facade.

  facade.

10/26/2014

In the early evening, we drove across the Bay Bridge to Golden Gate Park to visit the de Young Museum. The exterior almost looks like a futuristic ship (aquatic and/or space craft like) and includes a Tower Observation Floor that looks over Golden State Park with views of the California Academy of Sciences, the Music Concourse (area between the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young Museum), and the quintessential housing that San Francisco is known for. As we looked at the area around us, the fog started to roll in. It's an eerie feeling and makes me think of that 1980 movie "The Fog". It also brought back memories my first time in San Francisco when I was just in grade school. We were sightseeing from the bus and saw the fog rolling down the hill. It moved so organically--like it was alive. Just in time for Halloween! The "Modernism from the National Gallery of Art: The Robert & Jane Meyerhoff Collection" just went off exhibit but it was wonderful to see these pieces of art, especially with my graphic design background. They even had some pieces from Andy Warhol. Friday Nights at the de Young includes a different event every week from live music, dance, theatre performances, film screenings, panel discussions, lectures, artist demonstrations, hands-on art activities, and exhibition tours.

10/24/2014

Beautiful building, beautiful and wide variety of works of art.  I spent 2 hours here and could have easily spent at least another hour.  The gift shop has an amazing table of books on sale, I would have purchased more if I'd had room to pack them in my suitcase for the trip home.

5/17/2014

Ideas On Paper: Inspiration Is Painting For Life. To look at something is an act that involves more than the eyes. Looking with intensity demands an entire lifetime of accumulated sensory memory: each noise, smell, change of lighting and so much more. Paintings and drawings remind us of the possibility of transcendence through the act of looking. Beyond this, painting is a way to inhabit a state of permanent uncertainty or strangely be aware of what it means to be alive.

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  Blackberries

  Blackberries
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  Sonoma, California

  Sonoma, California
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  Savage Encounters

  Savage Encounters
• See all photos from Saurabh S. for de Young

6/8/2014

Very nice observatory on ninth floor-take the elevator on the right side of bldg.  I heard you can go up there without the entrance tix to the store. I didn't see anyone checking - but I already got my entrance tickets.  The elevators close earlier than the museum so go see the top view.

Outdoor of the first floor restaurant are huge apples that one can see (sits on?) They are neat and fun to see.

This time I didn't like the service from the front office people - not too friendly.

Worth seeing this place once. Special exhibits are extra.