Just in Time for Its Grand Reopening, SFMOMA Expands Its Collection

From establishing one of the first museum collections of photography in 1936 to initiating an educational television program entitled Art in Your Life, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has been a pioneering institution since it opened in 1935. The Campaign for Art is no exception. The ambitious 4-year acquisition campaign, which ended in 2015, has secured more than 3,000 artworks to date. Conceived alongside the building expansion and spearheaded by co-chairs Robin Wright and Helen Schwab, the goal of the campaign is to expand the museum’s collection in key areas. Promised to the museum by over 200 donors, the works span decades, genres and media to provide visitors a more robust view of the art of our time. By filling in these gaps, the museum has reinforced its legacy as a leader in the preservation of cultural history.

Opening to the public on May 14th, SFMOMA’s new building is a monument to museums. The 10-story, 235,000-square-foot addition by the world renown architecture firm Snøhetta is seamlessly integrated into the existing building designed by Mario Botta, which was completed in 1995. With nearly three times the previous exhibition space, the newly transformed SFMOMA will celebrate the opening of the new building with eighteen exhibitions, including four that highlight the momentous Campaign for Art – Modern and Contemporary, Contemporary, California and the West: Photography from the Campaign for Art, and Drawings, Part I.

“We are committed to inspiring new perspectives by collecting, conserving, and displaying modern and contemporary art,” says a museum spokesperson. The campaign is responsible for an impressive 10% growth of its collection, adding major artworks seminal to the trajectory of art history, including Jackson Pollock’s Black and White (number 6), Diane Arbus’ Untitled, as well as Nam June Paik’s TV Crown. The Campaign for Art: Modern and Contemporary installation will include an entire gallery dedicated to the late photographer Diane Arbus. 

The campaign also plays a vital role in supporting contemporary artists. The Campaign for Art: Contemporary will feature artists whose works have been known to push boundaries through experimentation with new materials and forms. Key figures include Mark Bradford, Jeff Koons, Robert Gober, Sherrie Levine, and Doris Salcedo. Among the many highlights, Chuck Close’s Cindy and Ai Weiwei’s Vases will also be on view.