San Francisco Museum of
Modern Art

SFMOMA Permanent Collections

SFMOMA’s internationally recognized permanent collection of modern and contemporary art includes more than 26,000 works — and continues to grow. Discover modern art masterworks and glimpses of contemporary art in the making. Collections include:

• Painting and sculpture
• Photography
• Architecture and design
• Media Arts

William L. Gerstle Collection, William L. Gerstle Fund purchase © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, Germany 62.3421

Rooftop Garden

Described by architect Mark Jensen as "a gallery without a ceiling," the Rooftop Garden features two open-air spaces connected by a luminous glass pavilion. Take a break with superb Blue Bottle coffee drinks and pastries inspired by art works installed in the museum. Season the respite with dramatic views of the San Francisco skyline and sculptural works in the museum's collection.

A new app brings the Rooftop Garden to your iPhone. It's the garden from all angles, with commentary about the sculptures, an interview with the architects, plan drawings of the space, and an interview with the artistic staff of the Rooftop Coffee Bar.

Interactive Features: Koret Visitor Education Center

This dynamic drop-in facility provides a broad range of resources and services, as well as a full calendar of public programs and activities. Open to all visitors, the Koret Center is located on the museum's second floor, just a few steps from the galleries.

Activities take place throughout the museum, but the Koret Visitor Education Center is Family Program H.Q., offering interactive materials and information for all ages on a daily basis.

Making Sense of Modern Art Mobile

From the museum that brought you the first-ever multimedia gallery tour comes an entirely new way to explore SFMOMA's extraordinary collection: A handheld touchscreen device.

Get up close and personal with the paintings, sculptures, and photographs you thought you knew via interviews with artists, curators, scholars and storytellers; video footage; poems; and music.

Free with the deposit of a driver's license or valid state ID. Pick one up in the Haas Atrium. Available in English, with selected stops in French, German, and Spanish.

Art in the Atrium: Kerry James Marshall

Specially commissioned for SFMOMA, Kerry James Marshall's monumental murals depict Mount Vernon and Monticello, the estates of American presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Marshall's paintings stand apart from other such paintings by incorporating images of the slaves who supported plantation life.

At first glance, optical tricks conceal them from view, but visitors who engage in the artist's visual game will discover figures so often omitted from representations of American history.

Caffé Museo and Rooftop Coffee Bar

• Caffè Museo serves an inventive menu of Italian-inspired dishes made from fresh, local ingredients and organic produce. At ground level, adjacent to the museum's entrance on Third Street, the café offers an espresso bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and a selection of wines by the glass.
• The Rooftop Coffee Bar (accessible only after museum entrance) serves a variety of coffees, teas, refreshing drinks, and sweet and savory treats crafted by San Francisco's beloved Blue Bottle Coffee Company, renowned for its artisan micro-roasting process and dedication to the finest certified organic coffees. Cookies and cakes inspired by museum artworks are baked on the premises daily.

1. Louise Bourgeois, The Nest, 1994; Collection SFMOMA; © San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Photo by Henrik Kam 2. Alexander Calder, Big Crinkly, 1969; Collection SFMOMA; © San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Photo by Henrik Kam

Daily Special Events

SFMOMA's critically acclaimed exhibitions are just the tip of the iceberg. A wide range of ongoing special events (such as film screenings, tours, live performances, book signings, and talks given by artists and curators) are on offer nearly every day — many of them free with museum admission.

Yerba Buena Gardens Cultural District

SFMOMA is the centerpiece of San Francisco's flourishing Yerba Buena Gardens cultural district.

Enjoy a stroll around expertly manicured gardens with plants representing each of San Francisco's sister cities, while you take in a partial view of the downtown skyline.

A Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial is located within the park behind a waterfall, which is the largest fountain on the West Coast. The memorial consists of large, etched glass excerpts of King's speeches.

The Anniversary Show

Dec. 19, 2009-Jan. 16, 2011 – Included with CityPASS

SFMOMA marks its 75th year as a pioneering force in art, locally and globally.

Beginning with SFMOMA's founding in 1935, The Anniversary Show highlights moments when the history of the museum has intersected meaningfully with the history of art.

Leslie Shows, Two Ways to Organize, 2006; 82 in. x 82 in.; acrylic, charcoal, metal, mud, rust, and collage on panel; Collection SFMOMA, James and Eileen Ludwig Fund Purchase; © Leslie Shows

Calder to Warhol: Introducing the Fisher Collection

June 25-Sept. 19, 2010 – Included with CityPASS

This past February, SFMOMA announced an unprecedented partnership to house and display the collection of Gap founders Doris and Donald Fisher — more than 1,100 works by iconic 20th century artists — in a new museum expansion. This sweeping exhibition showcases the quality of the Fisher Collection, much of which has never been seen by the public. The Fishers collected the artists they loved in depth, purchasing extensive groupings of seminal works. The entire top two floors of the museum, including the Rooftop Garden, feature more than 160 paintings, sculptures, photographs, and video works.

Andy Warhol, Triple Elvis, 1963; acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas; 82 x 118 inches; Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at SFMOMA; © Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / ARS, New York; photo: Ian Reeves