How to Visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, known to locals as the SFMOMA, is considered one of the top modern art museums in the world. Devoted exclusively to 20th century art, the museum was designed as a modern architectural masterpiece itself. The first floor of the museum is designed to look like a chessboard and a series of spiral staircases are distributed throughout the building.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Make the Most of Your Museum Visit

1. Spend a good part of your visit enjoying the architecture and design collection, which showcases everything from a hollow acrylic chair filled with artificial red flowers to a 1969 Valentine portable typewriter. Other highlights include Frank Lloyd Wright's Skyscraper Vase, digital video art and a series of color lithographs.
2. Keep an open mind. Many of the exhibits at the museum are designed to make you think and formulate your own interpretation. Don't expect conventional paintings or simple displays.
3. Visit the media arts exhibitions, which include video, sound and digital animation.
4. Pay special attention to the Tokyo Rose, a wire mesh cage tunnel that leads to a small video presentation; and the You and I Horizontal, a special show combining a haze machine and a series of computer-designed geometric projections.
5. Take something home. Reproductions of many of the items in exhibition are sold at the museum shop.
6. Visit more than once. The museum's changing exhibits are as amazing as the permanent collection. The "California College of the Arts at 100: Innovation by Design," is a recent example that explored the cultural legacy of the well-known local college.
7. Visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art website for the latest information about hours, fees and exhibits (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is often compared to its partner, the MOMA in New York City, in design and content. If you have an opportunity to compare both buildings, do so.
• The shop at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art offers a mix of eclectic works of art and everyday objects. Furnishings (such as reproductions of Ross Lovegrove's Supernatural chair), lighting (including the Candela Cloud Rechargeable Lamps) and a collection of modern watches, jewelry and accessories are available.
• The museum also offers quite a variety of toys and books for children, including the waterproof Yellow Submarine Radio and the Design-Your-Own-Lamp kit.

Who Can Help:

• Find Decorators & Designers Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.