Why go
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is defined by galleries organized by region, monumental sculpture, and contemporary commissions. Another layer comes from the Beaux-Arts shell meeting the newer exhibition pavilion. Plan Asian Art Museum of San Francisco by remembering to start with one geographic collection before adding a special exhibition.
What to look for
- Look closely at galleries organized by region, monumental sculpture, and contemporary commissions.
- Notice the Beaux-Arts shell meeting the newer exhibition pavilion.
The full story
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco houses one of the most comprehensive Asian art collections in the world, with more than 18,000 works of art in its permanent collection, some as much as 6,000 years old. The museum owes its origin to a donation to the city of San Francisco by Chicago millionaire Avery Brundage, who was a major collector of Asian art. The Society for Asian Art, incorporated in 1958, was the group that formed specifically to gain Avery Brundage's collection. The museum opened in 1966 as a wing of the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park. Brundage continued to make donations to the museum, including the bequest of all his remaining personal collection of Asian art on his death in 1975. In total, Brundage donated more than 7,700 Asian art objects to San Francisco. In October 2011, the museum launched a new identity. Designed by the branding agency Wolff Olins, the logo is an upside down A, representing the idea of approaching Asian art from a new perspective.
Useful to know
- For Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, start with one geographic collection before adding a special exhibition.
- Pair Asian Art Museum of San Francisco with City Hall or Civic Center when the route and opening conditions align.
Your next visit
Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.
Outdoor visit · 30–45 min
World planning estimate; admission, opening, visit duration and access need checking.