De Young Museum facts for kids
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| Established | March 23, 1895 |
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| Location | 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, California, United States |
| Type | Art museum, Ethnographic museum |
| Visitors | 999,645 (2023) |
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The de Young Museum is a famous art museum in San Francisco, California. It is named after M. H. de Young, an early San Francisco newspaperman. The museum is located in Golden Gate Park, a large park on the west side of the city. It is part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, along with the Legion of Honor. In 2024, these two museums were ranked among the best art museums in the U.S. by the Washington Post.
In 2023, nearly one million people visited the de Young Museum. This made it one of the most visited museums in the United States and one of the most visited art museums worldwide.
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History of the De Young Museum
The de Young Museum first opened its doors in 1895. It was housed in a building from the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. This fair was similar to the World's Fair held in Chicago the year before. The original building looked like ancient Egyptian structures.
However, the building was badly damaged in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It had to close for a year and a half for repairs. As the museum grew, it needed a new, bigger space. M. H. de Young planned a new building, which was finished in 1919. This new building had a Spanish-style design.
In 1921, a central section and a tall tower were added. This tower became a well-known part of the museum. The museum was then renamed the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum to honor Michael de Young. Another part, a west wing, was completed in 1925. Sadly, the original Egyptian-style building was torn down in 1929 because it was unsafe.
Over time, parts of the building's decoration became unsafe due to rust from the salty ocean air. These parts were removed by 1949.
The museum building was severely damaged again by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Because of this, the old building was taken down and a brand new one was built. The new museum opened in 2005. Only a few original items, like vases and sphinx statues near the Pool of Enchantment, remained. The palm trees in front of the museum are also from the original site.
Amazing Art Collections
When the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco was created in 1972, the de Young Museum's European art collection moved to the Legion of Honor. In return, the de Young received many important historical and cultural items. These include ancient works from places like Teotihuacan and Peru. It also has tribal art from sub-Saharan Africa.
The de Young Museum shows off many types of art. You can see American art from the 1600s to today. There is also international contemporary art, textiles, and costumes. Art from the Americas, Oceania, and Africa are also on display. Some of the collections you can explore include: American Art, African Art, Oceanic Art, Arts of the Americas, Costume and Textile arts, Graphic arts, Photography and Sculpture. You can even see some of the collection online!
American Art Collection
The American art collection has over 5,000 items. This includes about 1,000 paintings, 800 sculptures, and 3,000 decorative art pieces. These works date from 1670 to the present day.
In 1978, the museum received a huge gift from John D. Rockefeller III and Blanchette Ferry Rockefeller. They donated 110 paintings, 29 drawings, and 2 sculptures. This greatly improved the American art collections.
The de Young shows American art in order of time period. You can see art from Native American and Spanish Colonial times. There's also art from the Federal era, Victorian times, and the Hudson River School. Later styles like Impressionism, Modernism, and Pop Art are also featured.
Even though the collection is national, it also highlights art made in California. This includes art from the California Gold Rush era to today. Important California collections include Spanish colonial art and works from the Arts and Crafts movement. The museum also has major collections by Bay Area painter Chiura Obata and sculptor Ruth Asawa.
The museum mixes decorative arts with paintings and sculptures. This helps visitors understand the art's historical and social background. Famous painters with works here include Mary Cassatt, John Singleton Copley, Thomas Cole, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Wayne Thiebaud.
In 2017, the museum added 62 works by 22 modern African American artists. These works were first shown in an exhibition called "Revelations: Art from the African American South" in 2018. They are now part of the museum's permanent collection.
In July 2023, Bernard and Barbro Osher promised to donate 61 American art pieces to the museum. This gift includes works by famous artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, Winslow Homer, and John Singer Sargent.
International Contemporary Art
Since 1988, the Fine Arts Museums have been collecting international contemporary art. This includes traditional art forms and new media. You can see installations, video art, and photography. This helps show how art is made today.
Recent art purchases include Wall of Light Horizon (2005) by Sean Scully. There are also sculptures by Zhan Wang and Cornelia Parker. The collection is strong in works by artists connected to California. These include Hung Liu, Bruce Nauman, and Ed Ruscha.
The museum also has works by artists like Anish Kapoor, Odd Nerdrum, and Carrie Mae Weems. In 2023, with a grant, the museum bought works by 30 artists from the Bay Area. These works were shown in an exhibition called "Crafting Radicality: Bay Area Artists from the Svane Gift."
The de Young also held the first major show for Feminist Art pioneer Judy Chicago in 2020. This was 40 years after her famous artwork The Dinner Party was first shown in San Francisco.
In 2021, the de Young had an exhibition called "Uncanny Valley: Being Human in the Age of AI." This show looked at how contemporary art explores ideas about intelligence and technology. It was named one of the top exhibitions of the year by FRIEZE magazine.
Also in 2021, the de Young presented "Golden Gate (金門)," a solo show by artist Hung Liu. This exhibition focused on the experiences of immigrants and migrants in California.
"Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence" opened at the de Young in February 2023. This exhibition was first shown at the Venice Biennale in 2022. The museum made sure the show was welcoming and thoughtful for all visitors. They even created a "respite room" where people could relax after seeing the art.
Textiles and Costumes
The Fine Arts Museums have a collection of over 13,000 textiles and costumes from all over the world. It is one of the largest and most complete collections of its kind in the United States. It includes clothing, accessories, woven fabrics, and items decorated with beads or embroidery.
The de Young has shown fashion since the 1930s. You can see pieces by famous designers like Dior, Balenciaga, Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent. There are also collections of 18th and 19th-century European fans. The museum has an excellent lace collection and beautiful European church clothing. A growing collection of modern wearable art is also featured.
In August 2017, "The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion, and Rock & Roll" celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. This exhibit showed fashion from the late 1960s. Over 270,000 people visited this popular show.
In the fall of 2018, the de Young organized "Contemporary Muslim Fashions." This exhibition explored how Muslim women dress in different cultures. It was the first large show of its kind at an art museum. It featured designers and artists from Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the U.S.
Art from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
The de Young Museum has more than 1,400 pieces of African art. These come from various regions like the eastern Sudan, the Guinea coast, and central Africa. The African art collection is shown by themes, focusing on the beauty and meaning of the art.
The Oceanic collections were among the first at the de Young. They started in 1894 at the California Midwinter International Exposition. Since then, more than 3,000 Oceanic works have been added. These include sculpture, basketry, tapa, ceramics, and stone tools. Highlights include a 10-foot housepost from the Iatmul people of Papua New Guinea. There are also brightly painted carvings from New Ireland and a rare navigation figure from the Caroline Islands. Powerful wood carvings from the Maori of New Zealand are also featured.
The Art of the Americas collections are very important for understanding art history and world history. They make the de Young a key place for cultural research. The large collection of ancient American and Native American art has nearly 2,000 works. These come from Meso-America, Central and South America, and the West Coast of North America. Art from the native cultures of the Americas was a main part of the museum's first collection. Special rooms are dedicated to ancient objects from Mexico, including amazing Teotihuacan murals.
Selected Collection Highlights
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Rainy Season in the Tropics by Frederic Edwin Church
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Winter in the Country by George Henry Durrie
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Sacramento Railroad Station by William Hahn
Modern Museum Architecture
The current de Young Museum building was designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron and Fong + Chan. It opened on October 15, 2005. San Francisco has earthquakes, so the designers had to make the building very strong. It can move up to three feet (91 centimeters) during an earthquake. This is thanks to a system of special plates and dampers that absorb the shaking.
Building a new museum in the middle of a city park was a big discussion at first. Voters in San Francisco twice voted against plans to fund the new museum. After these votes, the museum thought about moving to a different part of the city. However, many generous supporters helped keep the museum in Golden Gate Park.
The architects wanted the building to blend in with its natural surroundings. Walter Hood, a landscape architect, designed the museum's new gardens. The outside of the building is covered in copper. Over time, this copper will turn a greenish color, like the nearby eucalyptus trees. Shapes were cut into the roof to create gardens and courtyards. 48 trees were planted there, and giant tree-ferns make a dramatic background at the entrance. The museum also added over 5 acres (20,700 square meters) of new landscaping.
A twisting observation tower, 144 feet (44 meters) tall, is a unique part of the museum. You can see it rising above the trees in Golden Gate Park. From the tower, visitors can enjoy views of the park, the Golden Gate, and the Marin Headlands.
The museum also has a two-floor store and a cafe with outdoor seating. You can visit the lobby and the tower for free.
See also
In Spanish: De Young Museum para niños
- List of largest art museums
- List of most-visited art museums
- List of most-visited museums in the United States
- Bouquets to Art, an annual floral exhibition at the museum.
