SFMOMA: Where Innovation Meets Art on the West Coast

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is one of the largest modern and contemporary art museums in the United States, housing a collection of over 33,000 works across seven floors of exhibition space in a building that is itself a work of art. Originally founded in 1935 as the first West Coast museum dedicated to modern art, SFMOMA has grown into a cultural landmark that reflects San Francisco's identity as a city defined by innovation, creativity, and progressive thinking.

The museum underwent a transformative $305 million expansion in 2016, designed by the Norwegian firm Snøhetta, which more than tripled the gallery space and created one of the most architecturally stunning museum environments in the country. The expansion seamlessly integrates with the original Mario Botta-designed building, creating a campus that moves visitors through light-filled galleries, intimate viewing rooms, and dramatic architectural spaces.

The Collection

Photography

SFMOMA's photography collection is one of the most important in the world, with over 17,000 photographs spanning the medium's entire history. Holdings include masterworks by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, Robert Frank, and contemporary practitioners who are expanding the boundaries of photographic practice. The museum's commitment to photography as a fine art form dates to its earliest years and remains a defining strength.

Painting and Sculpture

The painting and sculpture collection includes major works of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Bay Area Figuration, Minimalism, and contemporary art from around the world. Significant holdings include works by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera (whose murals are a SFMOMA treasure), Andy Warhol, Richard Diebenkorn, and Ellsworth Kelly.

Architecture and Design

SFMOMA's Architecture and Design collection documents the evolution of modern design through over 4,000 objects—furniture, industrial design, graphic design, and architectural models and drawings. This collection connects visual art to the designed world, reflecting San Francisco's role as a center for design innovation.

The Fisher Collection

In 2009, SFMOMA secured a 100-year loan of the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection—over 1,100 works of postwar and contemporary art assembled by the founders of Gap, Inc. This collection, one of the most significant private collections of contemporary art in the world, includes major works by Alexander Calder, Ellsworth Kelly, Gerhard Richter, Agnes Martin, and dozens of other critically important artists. The Fisher Collection transformed SFMOMA from a strong regional museum into one of the most important repositories of postwar art in the world.

The Snøhetta Expansion

The 2016 expansion by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta is one of the most successful museum expansions in recent memory. The new building wraps around the back of Mario Botta's original 1995 structure, creating a seamless visitor experience that moves through dramatically different architectural environments—from Botta's symmetrical, skylit rotunda to Snøhetta's flowing, light-filled galleries. The expansion's rippled white facade, inspired by the fog and water that define San Francisco's landscape, has become an architectural icon in its own right.

The expanded museum provides 170,000 square feet of gallery space across seven floors, including dedicated galleries for photography, media arts, and the Fisher Collection. A free ground-floor gallery—accessible without a ticket—extends SFMOMA's public mission by providing art access to anyone walking through the neighborhood.

Bay Area Art and Culture

SFMOMA maintains a strong commitment to Bay Area artistic traditions that reflect the region's distinctive creative culture. The collection includes significant holdings in Bay Area Figuration—the movement led by David Park, Richard Diebenkorn, and Elmer Bischoff that reasserted representational painting against Abstract Expressionism's dominance—as well as works by artists associated with the Bay Area's countercultural movements, technology-influenced art practices, and the diverse contemporary art scene that thrives in San Francisco and the surrounding region.

The museum's relationship with Silicon Valley's technology culture creates unique opportunities for exhibiting and collecting digital art, new media, and technology-influenced practice that other major museums are slower to embrace. SFMOMA's openness to these emerging art forms positions it at the forefront of contemporary art's engagement with technology.

Education and Public Programs

SFMOMA's education department offers programs that serve the Bay Area's diverse communities through school visits, teacher training, family workshops, teen programs, and adult learning opportunities. The museum's digital engagement initiatives—including a robust online collection, virtual tours, and social media programming—extend its educational mission to audiences worldwide.

Public programs including artist talks, film screenings, performances, and community partnerships create cultural programming that extends beyond visual art into the broader creative landscape. The museum's rooftop sculpture garden provides a contemplative outdoor space for viewing art alongside panoramic city views.

Visiting SFMOMA

Located in the SoMa (South of Market) neighborhood of downtown San Francisco, SFMOMA is accessible by BART, Muni, and within walking distance of Union Square and the Moscone Convention Center. The museum's Restaurant In Situ, which recreates iconic dishes from world-renowned restaurants, offers a dining experience that extends the museum's creative mission into culinary arts. The museum store provides an exceptional selection of art books, design objects, and artist-designed merchandise.

The Bottom Line

SFMOMA is one of America's most important art museums, combining a world-class permanent collection anchored by the transformative Fisher Collection and one of the world's finest photography holdings, the stunning Snøhetta expansion that tripled gallery space, deep connections to Bay Area artistic traditions, and a location in one of the world's most creative and innovative cities. For anyone visiting San Francisco who cares about modern and contemporary art, photography, architecture, or design, SFMOMA is an unmissable cultural destination.