San Francisco Museum of Modern Art - A Visitor's Guide

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art was theExpressionism, Futurism, Hard-edge painting, Minimal art,
first museum on the western coast of the Unitedand many more. These many forms of art can take
States to show only 20th century art. The commonplace on any imaginable medium. Anything which has a
acronym for the San Francisco Museum of Modernpigment could be used as paint, and anything
Art is SFMOMA. It did not move to its current locationimaginable could be the canvas. Sculpture could be
of 151 Third Street in San Francisco until 1995. By thenmade with steel, iron, marble, or even cheese if the
the original name of San Francisco Museum of Artartist has a mind to. Some of the newest Avant
had been changed, it had occupied large portions ofGarde works are composed with raw light and sound
the War Memorial Veterans Building in the Sanbeing bounced around various rooms to create new
Francisco Civic Center. The new structure is asensory experiences.
225,200 square foot paragon of modern art thanks toThe museum hosts over twenty exhibitions annually in
Swiss architect and designer Mario Botta. Natural lightaddition to over 50,000 pieces of art in its permanent
is preferred to illuminate the building's large opencollection. Some of the more notable pieces in this
spaces, filling the structure with warm light streamingcollection include works by Ansel Adams, Jackson
through thousands of carefully placed windows andPollock, Richard Diebenkorn, and thousands of others.
skylights.Of these exhibitions, the most eagerly anticipated is the
For those not exactly familiar with the term, moderncompletion and grand opening of the Rooftop Garden.
art refers to any new artwork made after the midThis 14,400 square foot structure is designed to be an
17th century all the way to the present day in a styleoutdoor exhibition featuring sculpture, photography, and
dissimilar from that of previous eras. There are dozensother artwork which mirrors the mood and mutability of
of such styles of art which fit into this categorythe outdoor world.
including: Fauvism, Cubism, Pop art, Op art,