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de Young Museum San Francisco Review
de Young Art Museum - San Francisco
de Young Art Museum - Classic and impressionist art in Golden Gate Park.
The M.H. de Young Memorial Museum reopened in a beautiful and architecturally controversial new building at Golden Gate Park in Fall 2005. Instead of a typical "art filled box" - the new architecture from Pierre de Meuron and Jacques Herzog is a seamless joy to explore. The re-opened museum is built at the same site as its earthquake damaged predecessor at the east end of Golden Gate Park near the music concourse. The art museum includes a basement gallery for special exhibits; two floors of permanent exhibits; and a 144 foot high tower with an observation deck. The tower twists as it rises so at the top it parallels the north-south streets of San Francisco. People either love or hate the new building - so at least it is getting reactions! The architects have focused on sensations, not forms. They wanted to created architecture that touches all your senses in an overall experience-- and this approach has made the new de Young Art Museum quite memorable. Visitors are able to choose their own path through the art exhibits, rather than follow a pre-set route. The Oceanics gallery is particularly dramatic with a 9,500 square foot space where a ceiling pulls up like a shallow tent. It feels like an exotic treasure chest. The paving stones of the floors were quarried in inItaly with a syncopated pattern. The de Youung is fresh, inventive, and contemperary-- a world class art museum for San Francisco visitors to enjoy. The de Young Museum is a stunning and brilliant work of modern architecture getting a lot of attention. This museum may be San Francisco's cultural crown. The museum appears to have been here forever - yet is so modern it may have been placed here last week. In a 1,000 acre+ park (Golden Gate Park - San Francisco) with a variety of other wonderful attractions - it takes a lot for a museum to stand out. The de Young adds to Golden Gate Park world-class architecture designed by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. Like Los Angeles' Getty Center - the museum makes a statement on San Francisco's place in the cultural world.
Dede Wilsley is president of the board of trustees for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco at the time of design of the de Young. The museum's construction began when the original museum was destroyed in 1989 by the Lom Prieta earthquake. The museum's funding of over $175 million was raised privately. The private funding allowed the museum to be constructed in a unique way. The de Young blends tradition and nature with a long, curved roofline balanced at one end with a twisting tower. The main entrance is somewhat casual as you walk into a random crack or fissure surrounded by huge boulders. A number of glass-enclosed gardens are featured in the building. Several areas of the museum force you to view the beauty of the gardens and park with sweeping views of San Francisco. The combination of the stunning views with the art makes for an incredible combination. Some areas are airy and crowned with skylights-- others are set in semidarkness in rooms with heavy wooden floors. The design of various rooms is a commentary on the art and how different pieces relate to each other. The museum's president (Dede Wilsley) was heavily involved in the museum's design throughout the construction phases. She gifted the museum with a Gerhard Richter mural. The de Young museum is a combination of tourist attraction and civic icon that is wowing crowds from around the globe. Open all days except Monday. $10 per visitor : 415-750-3600 Official Museum Site and Exhibit Schedules . |
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