From jewelry to vinyl to Warhol, new San Francisco museum exhibits bloom in spring
Posted by admin on Mar 18, 2009
This spring, be sure to stop and smell the artwork in the City by the Bay. From rare Buddhist works to Symbolist graphic art, San Francisco museums offer the perfect chance to see captivating art from around the world, especially when April showers are pouring. Keep an eye out for Free Museum Days, usually on the first Sunday or Tuesday of every month.
ASIAN ART MUSEUM
On view through August 30, 2009, the Asian Art Museum highlights its holdings of historical photographs in the exhibition Photographic Memories. The images on view reflect the lives of people in China, Japan, and colonial India, and record the journeys people took there — or would like to have taken. The subjects range from formal portraits of princes to picturesque views of palaces and temples, to depictions of dancers and tightrope walkers in mid-performance, and date mostly from 1850-1910.
Also on exhibit: The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan — the first exhibition of its kind to focus on the Himalayan nation’s Buddhist culture, which provides an exceptionally rare opportunity to view some of the most sacred and beloved Buddhist arts. Many of the objects remain in ritual use in temples and monasteries and have never before been accessible to a Western audience. Through May 10, 2009.
Admission
$12 Adults / $8 Seniors (65+) / $7 Youth (ages 13-17) / Free for children 12 and under. Admission is $5 every Thursday after 5 p.m., and is free on the first Sunday of each month.
LEGION OF HONOR
Artistic Luxury: Faberge, Tiffany, Lalique, on view at the Legion of Honor through May 31, 2009, is the first comparative study of the work of the three greatest jewelry and decorative arts designers at the turn of the 20th century: Peter Carl Faberge, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Rene Lalique. Faberge catered to the Russian and British royal families. Tiffany gained a reputation for providing the most extraordinary objects of personal adornment. Lalique pushed the boundaries of his artistry and attracted the patronage of influential members of the artistic and literary circles. The three artists were united by a common purpose: to elevate the mundane object into the most luxurious and artistic creations imaginable for their illustrious clientele, and their work became the ultimate status symbol of the Gilded Age.
Also on exhibit: Waking Dreams: Max Klinger and the Symbolist Print — a collection of Max Klinger’s graphic art, including etchings and woodcuts, from the late 19th century. The German Symbolist artist is best known for his enigmatic portfolio Paraphrases about the Finding of a Glove. Through July 4, 2009.
Admission
$20 Adults / $17 Seniors (65+) / $16 Youth (ages 13–17) and Students with ID / Free for children 12 and under. Admission is free on the first Tuesday of each month ($10 surcharge for special exhibition still applies). Receive $2 off admission with MUNI transfer or Fast Pass. Admission tickets to the Legion of Honor may be used on the same day for free entrance to the de Young.
DE YOUNG MUSEUM
On view through May 17, 2009, at the de Young Museum is Warhol Live, which presents the first comprehensive exploration of Andy Warhol’s work as seen through the lens of music. Major Warhol silkscreen paintings, films and sound recordings, album covers, illustrations, and photographs will provide a visual and aural score to Warhol’s extraordinary work and life.
Also on exhibit: Signs: Wordplay in Photography — an exploration of the myriad use of signs, signals, billboards, and video displays by modern and contemporary photographers even before the Pop Art movement. The work of 20th and 21st century photographers, from Walker Evans to Lee Friedlander and Ed Ruscha, is on display. Through June 14, 2009.
Admission
$20 Adults / $17 Seniors (65+) / $16 Youth (ages 13–17) and Students with ID / Free for children 12 and under. Admission is free on the first Tuesday of each month ($10 surcharge for special exhibition still applies). Receive $2 off admission with MUNI transfer or Fast Pass. Admission tickets to the de Young may be used on the same day for free entrance to the Legion of Honor.
CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM
Jews on Vinyl, on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum through June 9, 2009, features vintage record titles of Jewish recorded music from the 1940s to the 1980s. A unique exhibition based on the new book by Roger Bennett and Josh Kun, And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl: The Jewish Past as Told by the Records We Have Loved and Lost (Crown Press, 2008), Jews on Vinyl celebrates the universality of records while offering new perspectives on Jewish identity and history.
Also on exhibit: New Works/Old Story: 80 Artists at the Passover Table — an invitation for local and national artists to explore the Passover seder, which represents the redemption of the Jewish people from bondage in Egypt, within the context of their own artistic philosophy. Through June 2, 2009.
Admission
$10 Adults / $8 Seniors (65+) and Students with ID / Free for youth 18 and under. Admission is $5 every Thursday after 5 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
On view through July 7, 2009, SFMOMA presents New Work: Ranjani Shettar, the first exhibition on the West Coast of internationally recognized Indian artist Ranjani Shettar. Shettar, based in Bangalore, India, employs a number of time-honored traditions in her work, such as kasimi (black dye) and tamarind kernal powder paste. Though such practices are rooted in tradition, the art itself is undeniable contemporary, and the works question fundamental principles of sculpture through stunning yet sensual forms. The exhibition includes two works crafted specifically for SFMOMA.
Also on exhibit: William Kentridge: Five Themes, a comprehensive survey of the contemporary South African artist’s work. Born in Johannesburg, Kentridge has earned international acclaim for his interdisciplinary practice, which often fuses drawing, film, and theater. Through May 31, 2009.
Admission
$12.50 Adults / $8 Seniors (62+) / $7 Students / Free for children 12 and under. Half-price admission on Thursday evenings from 6 - 8:45 p.m. Admission is free on the first Tuesday of each month.