San Francisco Art Association facts for kids
The San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) was an important group that helped artists in California. It held art shows, published a magazine, and started the very first art school west of Chicago. Over time, the SFAA changed its name and goals, eventually becoming the San Francisco Art Institute by 1961. It also helped create what is now the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The SFAA played a big part in developing a unique art style in Northern California called Tonalism, which was different from the American Impressionism popular in Southern California.
How It Started
The SFAA began on March 28, 1871. About 23 to 30 artists, mostly landscape artists, came together. Their leader was Virgil Macey Williams. They had three main goals: to create an art library, to put on art exhibitions, and to eventually open an art school.
Painter Juan B. Wandesforde hosted the first meeting and became the first president. Other early artists who joined included George Henry Burgess, Gideon Jacques Denny, Andrew P. Hill, Thomas Hill, William Keith, Arthur Nahl, Charles Christian Nahl, and Ernest Narjot. One of the founders, George Henry Burgess, was also a photographer. This connected the SFAA to the new field of fine art photography.
A few months later, the SFAA welcomed its first honorary member, Albert Bierstadt. He was a very successful landscape painter from New York. By 1874, the SFAA had 700 regular members. Their quarterly parties attracted about 1000 people. Their art shows, held twice a year, brought in over 7000 visitors. In 1874, only three other cities in the United States had similar public art groups: New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C..
Many artists were also members of the Bohemian Club, which started in 1872. Wealthy members of the Bohemian Club often bought art from SFAA artists. This helped the artists earn a living. Art shows in the late 1800s were very successful. Many artists sold a whole year's worth of their work to rich patrons. By 1915, the SFAA's success was closely linked to how much the Bohemian Club members bought.
The Art School
In February 1874, the SFAA opened its own art school, called the California School of Design. Virgil Macey Williams was its first director. Other important directors included Emil Carlsen, Arthur Mathews, Pedro Joseph de Lemos, and Lee Fritz Randolph.
In 1893, the school moved into a large building called the Mark Hopkins mansion. It became known as the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art and worked with the University of California. Sadly, in 1906, a huge fire after the earthquake destroyed the building. A new, simpler building was built in just one year. It was then called the San Francisco Institute of Art.
During his time as director, Pedro Joseph de Lemos added new subjects like illustration and decorative design. He also started the first etching classes west of Chicago. He left after disagreeing with the Board of Directors about paying teachers more and improving the school.
His replacement, Lee Fritz Randolph, helped the school grow a lot. The school's name changed again to the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA). In 1926, it moved to a new building on Chestnut Street. This is still the main campus of the San Francisco Art Institute today. During World War II, director William Gaw kept the school going strong by changing what was taught.
The Art Museum
The Mark Hopkins Institute of Art had an art collection that people could visit. However, it wasn't officially a museum. After the 1906 fire, some of the art was saved.
The Panama–Pacific International Exposition in 1915 made people in San Francisco want a permanent art museum. The organizers of the exposition offered to give the beautiful Palace of Fine Arts building to the SFAA. This would happen if the SFAA could raise $30,000 for running costs.
The SFAA hired J. Nilsen Laurvik, an art critic from New York, to lead the museum. In November 1916, the SFAA started publishing a journal called the San Francisco Art Association Bulletin. Wealthy businessmen joined committees within the SFAA. This led to a change where the tastes of rich patrons started to influence what artists painted.
Unfortunately, not enough people visited the Palace of Fine Arts. The museum lost a lot of money each year from 1915 to 1922. The art collection remained small in the huge space. Landscape painting, which used to be a strength of the SFAA, became less common.
In the mid-1920s, the SFAA helped promote plans to fund new museums. Work began on the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, a project supported by SFAA member Herbert Fleishhacker. Large murals, painted by SFAA artists, started appearing in public places. These murals were very popular. By 1926, San Francisco had three public museums: the de Young Museum, the Legion of Honor museum, and the Palace of Fine Arts.
The SFAA's own museum operated in the Palace of Fine Arts until 1925. After much effort to raise money, the San Francisco Museum of Art reopened in the War Memorial Veterans Building in January 1935. The opening shows included the SFAA's annual exhibition, old tapestries, and 46 examples of "Modern French Painting" by artists like Cézanne and Renoir. Albert M. Bender, a board member, donated many of the first artworks to the museum. The museum was run separately from the SFAA, but they continued to work together for many years.
Joining Forces
In 1961, the SFAA joined with the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA). The art school then took its modern name, the San Francisco Art Institute. The San Francisco Art Association officially closed down in 1966.
