San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

I love the previous two reviews — very accurate with good information.
As someone who has been coming to this museum since it was at the Veteran’s War Memorial Building across town I found the new addition and remodel, inviting, playful, diverse and as stunning as when the original museum was built. Locals, it won’t disappoint.
If you don’t see any other museums on the West Coast this year please come down the rabbit hole and give yourself 5 hours. If you love modern art you won’t be disappointed– send the kids to the Metreon across the street if they get antsy, by the fourth floor? There are seven floors.
Get the audio for $ 6.00. I love the gps feature of the audio that kicks in when you stand next to a painting that is on their selection. The narratives of each piece they review are much too short I feel. But there are several interviews of the actual artist talking about the painting that you are viewing.. One caveat– the audio’s battery runs out by the fourth floor. Maybe request two? Unless you have an energetic kid to run down and exchange it– a bug they will work out soon, hopefully.
Parking right behind the museum on Minna, $ 25.00 for a 5 hour stay. Worth it for those kids to get in and out of the car if needed.

While this museum doesn’t have quite as many jaw dropping famous works that everybody recognizes as it’s NYC counter part, it does have a vast collection of thought provoking exhibits that put it on par with lots of the great museums around the world.
It’s been a long time since I last visited SFMOMA, so I can’t speak about the changes quite as extensively as someone who comes to the space more often than I. What I can say is that it is a beautiful space that is filled with light and easy to navigate around.
Each of the floors has one or two exhibits so you never feel like there are too many things you’re trying to look at in a space. Some museums seem to cram as much art as possible into a room and you’re stuck with huge crowds all competing to look at the art. Here, everything is grouped thematically with usually just one or two artists work in a room. The space gives viewers the opportunity to stand and actually absorb a painting or sculpture, and look at it from different angles without jostling through a huge crowd.
There are some pieces that are clearly designed for the room they are in, Richard Sera has several that feel so organically part of the space that you couldn’t imagine other things crowding into the same area.
The collection itself seems to contain at least one piece from almost all of the modern masters, but as mentioned, it usually isn’t their most famous piece, but is instead a work in the same style. This is actually a positive in my mind. We’ve become so familiar with the art of Matisse, Picasso, Klee, and others that it is nice to see works that we don’t feel like we already «know.» I think it invites us to look at them more carefully and to want to explore the artists changing style.
Like any great museum, I’d prefer to visit a floor or a wing at a time, to give each work the appropriate consideration. If I lived in San Francisco, this would be a museum that the year membership would be well worth it for repeated visits. As it is, I don’t get down there as much as I’d like and had to enjoy as much of it as I could with just a few short hours before hopping back onto a plane.

I don’t know where to begin. The entire building is a work of art. It’s almost like it’s breathing. The space is so grand, so thought out, so inviting that I could spend days wandering through the different wings/​galleries.
If you live in SF, definitely get the Membership. It’s essentially worth it after 2 – 3 visits — which I could do in a matter of days. If you want to explore but don’t necessarily want to see the whole museum, explore Richard Serra’s installation — which is a lot of fun to walk through.

Bring your walking shoes, you can complete 10,000 steps in one visit. Loved the outdoor gardens. This place is huge, the artwork are huge. They feature B Patisserie bakery goods. Café sends out some really good food. Serra sculpture is free to all, no need to pay admission to see that. Can you imagine paying 25.00 entrance fee? Wow. The renovation and expansion made the space spectacular. No need to be squished, every piece of art nicely presented. Figure out you want from gound up or top down. Either way there are so much to see. Actual ticket sales are on the 2^nd floor on both sides.

Buy the membership if you live in SF or work in SF. Zero downside. I love to pop in for one set of paintings or just a cup of coffee on one of the terraces.
The new MOMA gives me so much joy. I have only been twice but I am so thankful for everything the Fisher family has contributed to providing art to the city of San Francisco.
Don and Doris only purchased pieces they both loved. The MOMA is nothing but love on every floor.
From the cafes to the multiple balconies that overlook the city — you can’t go wrong.
Thank you, thank you MOMA for reopening — I missed you!

I’m sure my Humanities professor would like to think she had something to do with our decision to visit a museum while on vacation. That’s probably true, but it was pretty handy that they opened right next door to the W San Francisco where Edward L. and I were staying last weekend.
You could easily spend a few hours here if you tried. Modern art is pretty easy to absorb, so if you don’t have much time you’ll still enjoy popping in. It seemed like I liked every other floor (i.e. 7^th was better than the 6^th & the 5^th was cooler than the 4^th). Parts of the collection were from artists that I easily recognized like Andy Warhol. Some of the other names were more obscure and everything was well put together. I literally laughed out loud when we passed a Palm Pilot that was actually part of an exhibit. Yes, Palm Pilots are so outdated that they’re in a museum.

The SF MOMA just reopened in May and it is beautiful! Seven gorgeous floors of jaw-​dropping art. I want to explore every inch of the museum– it will take me months so I just got a membership. The memberships are affordable– $ 150 for an annual dual membership (got it with my fiancé) allows us to go whenever we want and bring guests. They also have a great iphone app with interactive podcast-​like tours that range from a quick 15m to an hour. They explain the art in a fun, creative, entertaining and memorable way. I’m lucky that I work right next door– hope to go a lot this year and learn as much as I can!
Also they have a great café where you can grab lunch, coffee, or some pastries and enjoy the nice weather on the outdoor patio.

I had never been to SFMOMA before its recent remodel. My first experience with the museum was figuring out how to gift a membership to a friend before it even opened. Shout-​out to Anna in the membership department for helping me make this happen on such a short notice!
About a month after it opened, I went to visit with a friend and was shocked by how much there was to see! So much cool stuff! I could only stay for about two hours before becoming overwhelmed. The price of a day pass is totally worth it, and I would consider buying a membership just to see all the art that I didn’t get a chance to see the first time. Plus there were a few exhibits not yet opened.
When you’re planning your trip to SFMOMA, buy your tickets in advance and avoid the lines. I feel that the membership department has mastered the optimal price levels and membership benefits. Totally worthwhile. Makes a great gift too!

My boyfriend was able to buy membership at a discounted rate, but even without it, $ 100 for the individual rate is a steal if you are an art lover or have friends frequently visiting the Bay. Membership grants unlimited free admission plus a guest, including special exhibitions! Single tickets are $ 25, which is already equivalent of 4 visits.
The new museum renovation is beautiful. It has that new home feeling because everything looks shiny. With the expansion, the exhibits almost seem endless. The large vertical garden is gorgeous, although I wish more light came into the area. Overall, Snøhetta Architects did a wonderful job bringing life to a once stagnant museum.
Make sure to visit the Richard Serra sculptures (my personal favorite), the Alexander Calder motion lab (the largest Calder collection I’ve seen in one room until 9÷10÷16), Typeface to Interface (until 10÷23÷16), and Pop, Minimal, and Figurative Art (with big names such as Chuck Close, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol).
Reserve the whole day or get membership to visit as often as you want.

Went around 3:45 and they close at 5 so I decided to just get the yearly membership ($ 100) since you can bring a guest for free and thus pay for it in two visits.
Beautiful building and spaces (love the sculpture garden and living wall + large sculptures on the terrace). I wasn’t as crazy about the paintings. Loved the Chuck Close and Warhol pieces though.
We didn’t try any of the food but the café space is cute and great on a sunny day.
We visited diRosa in Sonoma a while back and I have to say that’s now the standard for modern art for me. I was definitely more drawn to that collection. Excited to see what else the Moma has to offer. We did the 4^th and 5^th floors and the large sculptures so I’ll be back when I have more time to see the rest of the floors.

This place closed down about 3 years ago due to some renovations and they have finally opened up! We decided to spend a decent chunk of our Memorial Day here. We didn’t buy tickets online as I figured there would be a student discount at the door. Never found out, as an older gentleman and his wife couldn’t make it that day and they were selling their tickets for $ 20 for the pair! Saved me $ 30 bucks! Now we are talking.
The place was pretty packed on a day where SF was actually pretty empty. SF is normally a zoo, but today it felt fresh and clean. Well certain parts at least. This place is huge and there are 7 floors. Also be on the lookout for Waldo. Hint hint. He’s not actually inside the building.
You will see everything here, including a crucified Jesus frog. No joke, but awesome nonetheless. If you’re a modern art fan, then this place is worth checking out. Go for it!

Huge museum and a great way to spend half your day! The great thing about art is that it is open to interpretation. With that said, my friends and I had a blast interpreting the pieces. It took us about 4.5 hours to walk through all floors, at a leisurely pace with several breaks in-​between. My favorite was the California exhibit, as they showcased vintage photographs of San Francisco. It was also interesting that every floor’s restroom was painted a different color. This is a great place to easily gain 10,000 steps for those of you attached to your Fitbits/​activity trackers! :p
I advise purchasing tickets online ahead of time. You don’t get to line up at the elevators until your allotted time. Therefore, it’s not too necessary to arrive 30 minutes beforehand unless you wanted to do coat check, and even then the lines shouldn’t be too terrible. Definitely choose an earlier time slot. The place got horribly crowded between 1pm and 4pm while we were there on a Saturday. Take public transportation as SF MOMA is only a short walk away from Bart or Muni. Parking is horrendous otherwise. Highly recommend!

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is back bigger and better than ever. Known colloquially as SFMOMA, the museum was closed for a long time for a massive remodel and expansion. The museum is now open for business with the same entrance on 3^rd Street in SoMa near the Yerba Buena Center.
This museum is now massively large and expansive. I have been to many museums, and this one is now a monster with galleries on seven floors taking up a large section of the block. Several of the new galleries have some really avant garde art including multimedia experiences that really stretch the viewers mind and views of art. With such a large collection and travelling exhibits, it is hard to describe the installations since they may change when you read this review.
The museum itself was designed as art. The old entrance now takes you directly upstairs for ticketing and the main entrance. Electronic ticketing is available and recommended. A lot of people head to the elevators to go up to the top and slowly work down, but I kept bumping into people working their way up, so there is no official plan. The museum is now just too big to attempt in one session, so I recommend planning several visits to fully explore the collections.
Nestled amongst the exhibits are several food and drink options including a café and coffee bar. There are also several patios and a great vertical garden continuing the experience in good weather. Expect the place to be crowded for some time as locals and tourists rediscover the exhibits.
Admission is pretty pricy making an annual membership potentially the better bargain. Crowds will be a fixture for a while, but people watching is part of the fun! Who knows, maybe you can meet that special someone looking at the same painted urinal?

Big fan on the new museum. 7 floors, hundred of photos, sculptures, painting and exhibits, and lots of excitement! The only reason for the 4 stars, is that it’s not the caliber of the National Art Gallery in DC or museums overseas. I guess I’ve been spoiled when it comes to museums! Other than that, I have no complaints.
It’s bigger than the MOMA in NY (but I heard NY was going to close for renovation, so I guess it’s an arms race lol). Here’s what you need to know:
–Some company’s offer free tickets for their employees (+1 guest) for the first couple months after the reopening. Check with your employer before purchasing tickets.
–You have to buy timed tickets. This means that they sell tickets for entry times every 15 minutes. This does not mean that your visit is constrained by time. Also, you can enter (and re-​enter) anytime between your entry time and closing.
–Best to purchase tickets online because they have been going quickly. With that said, you can still get tickets at the admission desk the day of – but, you may not get the time you perfer.
Enjoy!

To celebrate one of my BFF’s birthdays, we visited SFMOMA on the day after their opening day on May 15, 2016. We showed up around 11:15 am and their first available slot for entrance was anytime after 12:45 pm which was great because we would have time to eat at Vitrine next door and then pop on over.
The place was crowded when we entered. There’s a total of 7 floors with each floor having a theme. We started on the 7^th floor which was the «The Campaign for Art» exhibition and featured modern and contemporary art. It was very crowded on this floor on the day we went but overall had some cool art pieces.
After this, we trekked on to the the German After 1960 floor and it was one of my fave exhibits. This floor was very calming. I loved the piece by Gerhard Richter which is a beautiful picture of the ocean. Taken from SFMOMA’s website, this exhibit is «German artists emerging after 1960 explored the postwar landscape – situated between recent disaster and emerging prosperity – with a combination of skepticism, uncertainty, and excitement to begin anew. Drawn from the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, this exhibition features single-​artist galleries devoted to leading German artists such as Georg Baselitz, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke, and Gerhard Richter.»
Another fave of mine was the California and the West exhibit. I was raised in San Francisco so I loved all the pics of CA and the many different pieces in this exhibit. My friends loved this exhibit as well.
We checked out the café but the line was out the door so we didn’t get to try anything.
We spent about an hour and a half at the museum before running over to our appointment at Remede spa next door so we didn’t have time to check out the entire museum. I will definitely be back soon though. Definitely worth a visit! Y

There is so much to explore at the SFMOMA! Around every corner one will find something amazing. From the living plant wall on the second floor, to the wafting coffee aroma on the third floor and the infamous wax police man, the SFMOMA has something for everyone to look at.
After having the pleasure to attend the pre-​opening, I will be sure to recommend the museum to locals and visitors alike. Located in the heart of San Francisco, the SFMOMA is accessible to all. Its entertaining for hours with its 6 floors full of modern art pieces… some weird, some funny, and some totally out of this world!
If you’re looking to fill your afternoon with art, the SFMOMA is the place to go. Spend the day, stop for a snack on the beautiful outdoor patio and discover art in San Francisco!

We had wanted to go to the museum soon as we have been anxiously awaiting the re-​opening, and we just so happened to have a friend who had snagged several grand opening day tickets!
We had a 1:15 entrance time so sauntered over after a great meal at Samovar. Word to the wise, make sure you allocate a full day at the MOMA because there is A LOT of art to be seen! Upon entrance, the greeting staff had recommended starting on the top floor and working our way down. So we took the silver elevators all the way to the Floor 7 and began our art viewing.
As no art expert, I found the whole experience still very enjoyable. We spent probably 2 hours on the first three floors before taking a break at the appropriately named indoor/​outdoor Café 5 on Floor 5. Here, you can get unlimited spa water or order anywhere from lunch to small desserts, coffee, lemonade, wine and more!
Some of our favorite pieces were Charles Ray’s sleeping woman, typeface to interface exhibit on Floor 6 (which I believe is a temporary exhibit and perfect for all who are interested in digital/​graphic design and computers and stuff), Gerard Richter’s photo paintings, the chair exhibit, and the lush living wall. By the end of the day, about 4 hours after we had entered, we got a little tired so we called it quits without some of seeing some of the galleries on Floors 2 and 3 — an excuse to return!
Pro-​tip: be sure to come early and wear comfortable shoes because there will be lots of walking!

Came on opening day, May 14, 2016, and had a blast. My buddy got free tickets for the first day, so I had to check it out. There are seven floors, each floor with a different general theme. We started on the top floor working our way down. Not only were the exhibits cool, but I also find it interesting just people watching. The type of fashion you see from the artgoers can be almost as interesting as the art itself!
The museum is in a really nice area of San Francisco in the Soma district so there’s plenty to check out before and after. I felt almost overwhelmed by all the different exhibits here: sculptures, film, pop art, minimialism, abstract, the list goes on. Heck, they even have palm pilots, google glass, and the very first iPhone here. So if you come here, you can be sure to say the iPhone is old enough to be in a museum.
I’ve heard there’s also a really good app you can download to get more information on a lot of the pieces. Photography is allowed here as long as you don’t use flash, and food and drink are a big no no. They have a place to check your coat and/​or any bags, and a café here on the 5^th floor in case you get hungry. Definitely worth a visit at least once

I was bummed when SFMOMA closed three years ago not because I would miss all the art but because I wouldn’t be able to hang out at the sculpture patio with my Blue Bottle in tow. Y’see, I’m just not deep a person. In fact, I kept wondering why they felt a need to expand a perfectly respectable museum within a very constrained space around the W Hotel. However, when Jamie W. bought memberships for us, we got to have a preview look last weekend. I was startled at how impressive the results of the renovation are.
It felt like this was the original intention all along, 170,000 square feet of exhibition space that seamlessly weds Mario Botta’s original brick-​laden building with the white Nordic crinkles of the Norwegian design firm Snohetta (photo:
). Another entrance has been built on Howard Street where you start on the second floor with a sweeping view of Richard Serra’s massively elliptical sculpture, «Sequence» (photo:
). We started on the seventh floor where multi-​media artworks are on display (photo:
). There’s a narrow sculpture balcony that overlooks much of SoMa (photo:
).
Walking down to the sixth floor, we saw a lot of graphic design and contemporary German art. The familiar starts to show up on the fifth floor where Roy Lichtenstein’s pop-​comic art is given its space as well as Andy Warhol’s «Triple Elvis» (photo:
) and «Double Dolly» (photo:
). You can now walk over a bridge to Café 5 where the Blue Bottle Café used to be, and the sculpture patio has thankfully been left intact (photo:
). The fourth floor focuses on abstract works and pieces from less familiar artists, while the Alexander Calder mobiles show up on the third floor.
There’s also an adjacent outdoor space featuring a living wall and a lot more sculptures (photo:
), as well as a Sightglass coffee area to rest your feet from all that stair climbing (photo:
). The second floor is where they made the restrooms a vivid red and placed many of the modern paintings I’ve missed for the past three years. Yes, I know you think I’m an art ignoramus, but yes, I remembered those pieces fondly like… uhhh…ummm. OK so now that I’m a member, I’ll be coming back more often after the crowds die down and maybe wear a beret and sip a white wine spritzer.

It’s been a long wait (4 years?). Stopped by yesterday with the member preview ticket and it was worth every penny. The new SFMOMA is now one of my favorite museums to visit.
Their Ellsworth Kelly collection is amazing, and the building itself is one giant piece of art.
Don’t miss the Richard Serra piece on the first floor. Walk through the concrete walls and feel the path twists in front of you.
I’ll be back. Prob multiple times a week. Thank you SFMOMA and the philanthropists behind it who made the whole thing happen.