6 Museum Exhibitions Ending This August, And Dozens More To Look Out For In SF
San Francisco's museums are turning over a number of exhibitions. Read on to discover the best current and upcoming exhibitions in the city.
As we enter a new season in San Francisco, many local museums are refreshing and replacing their temporary exhibitions. Now’s a great time to take stock and plan ahead to see some of these wonderful displays before they’re gone.
Ending soon
1. Hung Liu: Golden Gate (金門) at the de Young
- Through August 7, 2022
- Artist Hung Liu elevates archival photographs by re-painting them in the Socialist Realist style.
2. The Obama Portraits Tour at the de Young
- Through August 14, 2022
- The official portraits of President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama, painted by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald.
3. The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited at the Contemporary Jewish Museum
- Through August 14, 2022
- Discover Jim Henson’s work in film and television, from Sesame Street to Labyrinth.
4. Elegies: Still Lifes in Contemporary Art at the Museum of the African Diaspora
- Through August 21, 2022
- An international group of artists explores the genre of still lifes within a framework of Black diasporic identities.
5. Constellations: Photographs in Dialogue at SFMOMA
- Through August 21, 2022
- New additions to SFMOMA’s photography collection complicate and expand upon preexisting narratives.
6. VERSE: Art of the Future – Holographic Art Gallery at the Palace of Fine Arts
- Through August 31, 2022
- A powerful mixed reality headset allows you to see your surroundings and fellow guests, while cool augmented art comes to life around you.
Current and upcoming exhibitions
Union Savings Bank
- Through September 4, 2022
- LEGO® artist Nathan Sawaya brings over 70 brilliantly intricate works including colorful animals, recreations of classic paintings, and brand-new never-before-seen sculptures.
SFMOMA
8. Sightlines
- August 6, 2022 – May 7, 2023
- A new presentation from SFMOMA’s photography archives, through stories and perspectives rather than chronologically.
9. Alexander Calder: Dissonant Harmony
- Through May 2023
- A collection of whimsical and dynamic mobile sculptures from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s.
- August 20, 2022 – June 25, 2023
- Browse an interesting collection of contemporary furniture pieces that prioritize meaning and materiality over functionality.
- August 6, 2022 – May 14, 2023
- Explore representations of Arctic and Antarctic landscapes in this solo multimedia exhibition.
12. Mythic Constructions: Carlos Mérida and Paul Klee
- Through December 2022
- See a dynamic international presentation of abstraction by Guatemalan artist Carlos Mérida and Swiss-born modernist Paul Klee.
- Through January 2, 2023
- A collection of more than 150 works by Diego Rivera from the 1920s through the 1940s.
14. (a)way station
- Through May 21, 2023
- Artists Paul Kariouk and Mabel O. Wilson present the dilemma of conventional notions of home for migrant families in this sculptural and architectural exhibition.
- Through September 5, 2022
- 32 women artists explore the world through abstraction.
- Through September 5, 2022
- New expressions of portraiture and identity inspired by technology and scientific research.
17. Venus Envy, Chapter I: The First Holy Communion Moments Before the End
- Through November 6, 2022
- Artist Amalia Mesa-Bains presents autobiographical works depicting her childhood experiences with Catholicism.
- Through December 11, 2022
- Four sculptures inspired by natural spectacles test the physiology of perception. Featuring Olafur Eliasson’s popular One-Way Colour Tunnel on the museum’s suspended walkway.
Legion of Honor
- Through September 5, 2022
- Widely acclaimed Chinese designer Guo Pei, whom you may know from Rihanna’s famous yellow Met Gala dress, presents an exclusive display of pieces from Beijing and Paris runways.
20. Michelle Erickson: Wild Porcelain
- Through November 20, 2022
- Colonial ceramic techniques take on contemporary themes including local environmental issues.
21. Benoit Éditeur
- July 9 – November 27, 2022
- An exhibition of French artist and poet Benoit Éditeur’s collaborative work with Pablo Picasso.
De Young Museum
22. Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs
- August 20, 2022 – February 12, 2023
- A presentation of artifacts and jewelry from the reign of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II.
23. Faith Ringgold: American People
- Through November 27, 2022
- Track the evolution of acclaimed artist Faith Ringgold’s figurative style through her exploration of the American experience.
24. Nampeyo and the Sikyátki Revival
- Through February 26, 2023
- A showcase of 32 pots by Tewa-Hopi potter Nampeyo, one of the most renowned potters of the American Southwest.
25. To Teach and Inspire: The Julia Brenner Textile Collection
- Through April 30, 2023
- A selection of printed textiles from Julia Brenner’s collection spanning from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries.
Asian Art Museum
26. Seeing Gender
- Through September 5, 2022
- Sixteen museum works explore the themes of gender and sexuality across Asian art.
27. Carlos Villa: Worlds in Collision
- Through October 24, 2022
- A collection of works from local Filipino-American artist Carlos Villa.
- Opening September 30, 2022
- A collection of 20 paintings and works on paper by San Francisco painter Bernice Bing, the first of an ongoing series of collections in the Asian Art Museum highlighting under-recognized modern artists.
Museum of Craft and Design
29. Iris Eichenberg: Where Words Fail
- Through October 30, 2022
- A collection of German artist Iris Eichenberg’s contemporary jewelry, metalwork, and more.
30. Robyn Horn: Material Illusions
- Through October 30, 2022
- Explore geologic time through Robyn Horn’s sculptures and paintings using wood as a medium.
- November 18, 2022 – March 19, 2023
- An exploration of aerial imaging technologies like drones and satellites.
Museum of the African Diaspora
32. Richard Jonathan Nelson: Interlacing Distributed Intelligence/Noir Care
- Through September 18, 2022
- MoAD’s Emerging Artists Program presents Richard Jonathan Nelson’s multidisciplinary textile work.
33. David Huffman: Terra Incognita
- Through September 18, 2022
- David Huffman’s Traumanaut series follows futuristic beings in search of home in the galaxy, with influences from the Black Power Movement, cartoons, and more.
- Through September 18, 2022
- Artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s multimedia artworks depict dense foliage from Eastern Nigeria in honor of Earth Day.
35. Sam Vernon: Impasse of Desires
- Through September 18, 2022
- SF-based artist Sam Vernon’s museum-wide exhibition investigates queerness within a vast network of Black faces and familial structures, using drapes of colorful fabric and a vibrant yet loose constellation of images.
Contemporary Jewish Museum
36. Tikkun: For the Cosmos, the Community, and Ourselves
- Through January 8, 2023
- Thirty local artists interpret the Jewish concept of tikkun (Hebrew for “to repair”).
37. Oz is for Oznowicz: A Puppet Family’s History
- Through November 27, 2022
- Explore a collection of puppets and marionettes from Frank Oz, Jim Henson’s closest collaborator.
Tenderloin Museum
38. My Overdose Will Not Be Tragic
- July 7 – August 27, 2022
- The archive of Heather Edney and the Santa Cruz Needle Exchange.
Walt Disney Family Museum
39. Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book: Making a Masterpiece
- Through January 8, 2023
- An exploration of the 1967 classic film The Jungle Book, with over 300 artifacts on display including model sheets, story sketches, concept art, and more.
40. Creative Conservation: The Art of Endangered Animals
- Through October 16, 2022
- A collection of art created by endangered animal artists, as well as some watercolor wildlife paintings by human artist Andreas Deja. Presented in conjunction with Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book: Making a Masterpiece.
41. Spirit of the Season: A Community Art Exhibition
- Submissions close August 21; exhibition opens November 17
- A display of holiday-themed artworks submitted by local adults and teens.
Featured image: “Barack Obama” by Kehinde Wiley and “Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama” by Amy Sherald. Courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Images courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.