ART on STREETS: Sculpture Garden at the de Young Museum

One of the most enjoyable things about living in the city of San Francisco is how visually dynamic it is. There is simply art everywhere, but not in a way that inundates you. The most interesting pieces are hidden away in nooks and crannies, and many people often overlook the “candy” placed in prominent locations.  ART on STREETS highlights this city’s art through the lens of a “Polaroid” camera (except it’s an app on the phone).

The de Young Museum is located in Golden Gate Park, just off of 9th Avenue. When I first moved to San Francisco, the museum was in the process of being rebuilt; now it towers over the park, next to the Japanese Tea Garden and across from the California Academy of Sciences, which is quite close to the San Francisco Botanical Garden-all tourist hot spots. On either side of the de Young there are sculpture gardens, both of which are free to the public (however the more modern one, the Barbro Osher Sculpture Garden, keeps the same hours as the museum). From Tea Garden Drive you can easily see the more classic Garden of Enchantment on the eastern side of the museum. (There are two white sphinges near the garden’s entrance, which were part of the original museum.) I really like that this more classical art is available for free viewing, as it is such a contrast to the art we regularly see around the city. It serves as a reminder of how much art changes with time. Some other features of the area are the museum’s architecture, especially the facade of the museum itself, and the Pool of Enchantment. Below you will find an assortment of images of the “Garden of Enchantment” and the area around it. What have you seen lately that reminds you of the past?

This is the first of a two-part series, stay tuned!