Page 26 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

CA.MUSEUMS & ART
AERIAL VIEW of the de Young
Museum, below; de Young
gallery interior, right.
tion tower, the de Young is Northern
California’s premier metropolitan art
museum, including exhibits of the arts of
Africa, Oceania and the Americas. Tempo-
rary exhibits in 2014 will include Georgia
O’Keefe, Matisse and Anders Zorn.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern
Art is undergoing renovations, and will be
closed until 2016. Their motto is, “We’ve
temporarily moved...everywhere.” Check
their website (see sidebar) for a shifting
landscape of exhibitions, at various loca-
tions around the Bay Area.
A short BART ride (or drive across the
brand new Bay Bridge) from San Francisco,
the Oakland Museum of California re-
opened in 2010 after extensive renovations.
Dedicated to the arts, culture and natural
history of California, this handsome gem is
one of the state’s best museums, offering
terrific temporary exhibits on themes
ranging from the Day of the Dead to “A Cine-
matic Study of Fog.” The museum’s beautiful
wing on California’s Natural History was re-
opened in 2013, with wonderful recreations
of California’s cultural evolution. And while
you’re in the East Bay, the Berkeley Art
Museum—on the campus of UC Berkeley—
often features displays of Asian art.
Culture
California is a remarkably diverse state,
home to more than 50 ethnic groups. Many
24 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
of its museums reflect the racial mix and
cultural history of this melting pot in
microcosm. Here’s a brief sample; there are
many, many more.
In Sacramento (the state’s capital), the
California Museum features the California
Hall of Fame, celebrating local legends
from the Beach Boys to Tiger Woods.
In San Francisco’s North Beach, the Beat
Museum is affectionately known as “The
House Jack (Kerouac) Built.” Downtown,
the Contemporary Jewish Museum and
nearby Museum of the African Diaspora
(MoAD) provide fascinating insights into
two of California’s most creative ethnic tra-
ditions. Visiting the Asian Art Museum, in
the re-imagined San Francisco Public
Library, is the next best thing to a trip along
the ancient Silk Road.
For a taste of luminous California kitsch,
the Museum of Neon Art offers bus cruises
through the high-voltage landmarks of
downtown Los Angeles. Also in LA, the Mex-
ican Museum showcases “more than 12,000
objects representing thousands of years of
Mexican art and culture within the Amer-
icas,” while in Long Beach, the Museum of
Latin American Art (MoLAA) features
modern and contemporary work by artists
from all over the New World. Anaheim’s
Muzeo opened in 2010, offering sweeping
exhibitions on megathemes ranging from
Black Leather to Chocolate.
» FIND
YOUR ART
THE ARTS
Fine Arts Museums of SF
famsf.org
SF MOMA
sfmoma.org
Oakland Museum of California
museumca.org
LACMA
lacma.org
MoCA
moca.org
Geffen Contemporary
moca.org
Norton Simon Museum
nortonsimon.org
The Huntington Library
huntington.org
Getty Center & Getty Villa
getty.edu/visit
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
sbmuseart.org
Museum of Photographic Arts
mopa.org
SCIENCE
California Science Center
californiasciencecenter.org
The Tech Museum
thetech.org
Monterey Bay Aquarium
montereybayaquarium.org
California Academy of Sciences
calacademy.org
Exploratorium
exploratorium.edu
CULTURE
The California Museum
californiamuseum.org
Beat Museum
thebeatmuseum.org
Contemporary Jewish Museum
thecjm.org
MoAD
moadsf.org
Asian Art Museum
asianart.org
Museum of Neon Art
neonmona.org
Mexican Museum
mexicanmuseum.org
MoLAA
molaa.com
Muzeo
muzeo.org
MICHAEL LAYEFSKY; FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO. OPPOSITE: ERIK TOMASSON. RIGHT:JOAN MARCUS.