Why go
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is defined by the Fisher Collection, photography, sculpture, and free ground-floor works. Another layer comes from the rippling expansion facade and terraces above SoMa. Plan San Francisco Museum of Modern Art by remembering to pick two or three collection areas before climbing every floor.
What to look for
- Look closely at the Fisher Collection, photography, sculpture, and free ground-floor works.
- Notice the rippling expansion facade and terraces above SoMa.
The full story
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art. The museum’s current collection includes over 33,000 works of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design, and media arts. They are displayed in 170,000 square feet (16,000 m2) of exhibition space, making the museum one of the largest in the United States overall, and one of the largest in the world for modern and contemporary art. SFMOMA reopened on May 14, 2016, following a major three-year-long expansion project. The expansion more than doubles the museum’s gallery spaces and provides almost six times as much public space as the previous building, allowing SFMOMA to showcase an expanded collection along with the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection of contemporary art.
Useful to know
- For San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, pick two or three collection areas before climbing every floor.
- Pair San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with Yerba Buena Gardens or MoAD 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.