Best Art Galleries in San Francisco

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern art museum situated at a short distance from Union Square. A seven storeyed building, it showcases temporary paintings of artists like David Park, Rene Magritte, Diego Rivera, etc. The permanent works here include art pieces by Doris and Donald Fisher, founders of the clothing line GAP. The museum unveiled its expansion and newly designed structure by Snohetta in May 2016.

Hours : Friday–Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Thursday: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM , Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Admission : Adult: $25, Senior (65+): $22, Age 19–24 with ID: $19, Age 18 and younger: Free
Location : 151 3rd St

The 111 Minna Gallery is a leading event space in San Francisco, California. It presents a distinct amalgamation of local and international artists. Minna Gallery is an art gallery, event location, community hub, bar, cafe, & dance club located in Minna street of SF city. It features 1200 to 4000 sq. ft. open space with high-speed internet and stage room for live streaming shows. You can book an event and make art purchases online via their website. It is the winner of the Best Art Gallery in San Francisco in 2018 & 2019.

Location : 111 Minna
Hours : Mon to Fri from 7 A.M. to 9 P.M.

Andrea Schwartz Gallery is a very famous art gallery in San Francisco, CA. It focuses on contemporary paintings, sculptures, photography and represents artists from the Bay Area and throughout the country, showcasing the work of various popular artists like Danae Anderson, Cara Barer, Gwen Manfrin, and many more.

Hours : 9:00am to 5:00pm (Closed on Weekends)

ArtHaus is one of the top places to visit in California for art - lovers. This art gallery is dedicated to the works of contemporary New York and Bay Area artists. Its purpose is to encourage art and is a hit among the local people and tourists. Co-owners James Bacchi and Annette Schutz, who opened ArtHaus in 1996, also provide Art Consulting Services for Private Collectors and Corporations.

Hours : 11:00am to 6:00pm (Saturdays Noon to 5:00pm & Sundays closed)
Location : 228 Townsend St

Attached to the California College of the Arts, the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts was founded in 1998. The institute serves both as an exhibition space and research center for unsung artists who take risks and are adventurous. The institute features art by the famous Julia Heyward and Sotheby. The second floor of the institute often features performance art and other unique experiences. Wattis Institute is fully accessible and free to the public. Any art enthusiast should check it out while visiting San Francisco.

Timings : 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Monday to Friday
Ticket Prices : Free
Location : 360 Kansas St

For the art connoisseurs, De Young is a fine art museum that displays stunning works of African-American and Native American artists. It is located at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The special exhibits vary from time to time with works of Oscar de la Renta and that of Frida Kahlo’s. It has a permanent collection of old tribal art from all around the world and modern art from the late twentieth and twenty-first century. The building has an admirable architecture that boasts of a free observation gallery on the top with breathtaking views of the city.

Hours : 9:30 AM – 5:15 PM, (Tuesday to Sunday)
Admission : Adults: $15, Seniors (65+): $12, Students (with valid ID): $6, Youth (17 and under): Free

International Art Museum of America, a non-profit art museum established by a Buddhist artist H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, is a one of its kind genius in the San Franciscan art sphere. Located on the 1023 Central Market Street, the art museum first came into existence in 2011, with an aim of creating an opulent cultural and artistic domain which would also provide spiritual growth. IAMA brims with an outstanding architecture, excellently envisioned by the architect Weiya Noble, and catches great attention with its grand entrance which includes a garden, pond, waterfall, rock formations with a selection of green hedges and flowers all under a pagoda-roofed pavilion.

Location : 1023 Market St
Admission : Free
Open Hours : 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Closed Mondays

Catharine Clark Gallery is an art gallery for contemporary art, located in San Francisco, California. It is the first art gallery in the area to have a dedicated media room to present a wide range of media art. Catharine Clark Gallery is situated near leading arts venues such as California College of the Arts (CCA), the Museum of Craft and Design and the Minnesota Street Project. The prices for paintings are affordable, keeping all kinds of buyers in mind. The place is also available to be rented out for parties if you’re interested in an “art” theme.

Hours: 10:30am to 5:30pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 11:00am to 6:00pm (Saturdays), Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Location : 248 Utah St

Fraenkel Gallery is an Art gallery in San Francisco, California. It is a photo gallery manifesting rotating work of art by modern American and European artists. It was instituted in 1979 by Jeffrey Fraenkel. The Fraenkel Gallery has showcased over 350 exhibitions exploring photography and its association with other media, expanding the interactions around photography and contemporary art, since 1979. This gallery operates to build personal connections in different art communities. This gallery also maintains a vigorous publishing program, and they have published several books and title posters for their exhibition until today. Few of their popular publications are Open secrets, The Unphotographable, A man in the crowd, and much more. To have a scheduled-entry reservation, you have to book an appointment.

Hours : Tue to Fri from 10:30 A.M to 5:30 P.M. and Sat from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M
Location : 49 Geary St #450

Gallery 444 is a family-owned art gallery in San Francisco, California. It was established by Bettie Mitchell, who worked in San Francisco's art setting for around forty years. This gallery is a women-led organization that features a distinctive collection of fantastic artworks by modern artists like Rosemary Valverde, Marty Goldstein, and more. It only exhibits original paintings, prints, and sculptures. The gallery has street parking for visitors. It is open to appointments.

Location : 444 Post St
Hours : Mon from 9 A.M. to 7 P.M., Tue to Sat from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M., and Sun from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.

The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is located at the Yerba Buena Park and is a place of cultural essence to the city. They showcase art, feature films, dance performances, public programs, etc. The center displays exhibits and collaboratively works with other foundations to promote public welfare and eliminate violence from the community. The YBCA has launched a colorful open lawn social distancing art project in the park to raise awareness.

Hours : Tuesday- Sunday: 11:00am to 6:00pm, Except Thursdays: 11:00am to 8:00pm, Closed Mondays 
Admission : General: $10, Group Tours: $15 per person
Location : 701 Mission St

Hosfelt Gallery is an art gallery in San Francisco, California. It was instituted by Todd Hosfelt in 1996 to manifest contemporary art by international artists working in all forms of media. This gallery displays rotating exhibits of contemporary drawings, paintings, film, and other media. It offers a broad range of artworks by talented artists via their exhibitions, events, and art fairs at the gallery. Hosefelt gallery is one of the most favored gallery in the Bay area and one of the most engrossing in the entire San Francisco.

Location : 260 Utah St
Hours : Mon-Wed and Fri-Sat from 10:00 A.M to 5:30 P.M., Thu from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M

A creative hub for experimental and alternative artists and performers, The LAB, self-describes it as an interdisciplinary organization, which first came into existence in 1984 in Lower Pacific Heights. Later in 1995, it was transferred to the Redstone Building of the 2940 16th Mission Street. In 2013, Dena Beard took over as the Director of the LAB who exclaims that she re-envisioned the place as subversion from the normative administrative structures, which fundamentally runs on the “principle of refusal”.

Location : Redstone Building, 2948 16th St
Hours : Vary with Exhibition
Admission : Vary with Exhibition

Southern Exposure is a not-for-profit arts organization in San Francisco, California. It was initiated in 1974 and is situated in the Mission district of SF city. It is an artist-oriented organization that is committed to supporting visual artists. This organization strives to experiment, fraternize, further educate the national artists and youth in the mission district surroundings and off-site areas by offering extraordinary resources and a platform in the Bay area to showcase their talents. It is continuously engaged in building an ever-growing community of passionate people and supporters of visual arts.

Location : 3030 20th St
Hours : Tue to Sat from 12 P.M. to 6 P.M. (usual hours, can vary from project to project)
Admission : Free & open to public

Pier 24 is an Art & Photography museum in San Francisco, California. It is situated on the port of San Francisco, just below the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. It is a non-profit organization that hosts exhibitions and public programs and releases publications as well. Pier 24 photography is the largest exhibition space across the world that is dedicated entirely to photography. This Museum was established in 2010 by Andrew Pilara and Mary Pilara and holds the permanent collection of the Pilara foundation that collects preserves and exhibits photography.

Location : 24 Pier
Hours : Open via appointment - Monday to Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 5:15 P.M
Admission : Always Free, Appointment required

San Francisco Art Exchange is a large Art gallery in San Francisco, California. It is greatly dedicated to American iconography, involving Hollywood, celebrities, pin-up drawings & paintings, and history. This art gallery was initiated by Theron Kabrich and James Hartley in 1983. It takes pride in being the world leader and innovator in the exhibit and sale of significant photographs and artworks associated with renowned culture. The gallery displays the original photos by renowned artists. You can book your tickets online to visit.

Location : 458 Geary St
Hours : Mon to Sat from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. ( Sun closed)

The Museum of African Diaspora (MoAD) is a small but prominent museum located at the Yerba Buena arts district in San Francisco. It is a prosperous non-profit organization established to spread awareness of the African Diaspora and emigration. Striving to build and celebrate the Black culture, it has several fine and contemporary art exhibitions dedicated to uplift communal harmony.

Hours : Wednesday- Saturday: 11:00am to 6:00pm, Sunday: 12 noon to 5pm, Monday and Tuesday Closed
Admission : General: $10, Students, Seniors, Educators: $5, Children (12 & under): Free
Location : 685 Mission St

The Museum of Craft & Folk Art is a not-for-profit craft, folk art, and ethnic art museum in San Francisco, California. It is situated at the Yerba Buena Lane of SF city. The Museum was founded by an artist & promoter Gertrud Parker, in 1982. Today, the Museum of Craft & Folk Art organizes innovative exhibitions and educational programs that are devised to connect and inspire diverse communities. It is the solitary folk art museum in the entire Northern California. This Museum exclusively offers dedicated and unique exhibitions of ethnic and contemporary folk art and craft from across the globe. It operates to show how folk art, contemporary craft, and fine art are all part of the same spectrum.

Location : 51 Yerba Buena Ln
Hours : Wed to Sat from 11 A.M. to 6 P.M. ( Sun to Tue closed)
Admission : Adults - $5, Seniors - $4, Children - free

The Museum of Craft and Design, famously known as the MAD, is another prized possession of San Francisco. The museum was envisioned by Aileen Osborn Webb, an American Art patron and philanthropist, who is credited for founding The American Craft Council. Established in 1956, the museum was created in an attempt of acceding and upholding the artists, designers and artisans from the contemporary and alternative art and design arena.

Location : 2569 Third Street
Open Hours : Wednesday–Saturday: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM, Sunday: 12:00 PM–5:00 PM, Closed Monday and Tuesday
Admission : Children upto 12 years: Free, Adults: $10, Students with ID and Senior Citizens 65+: $8

Martin Lawrence Galleries was established in 1975, and it operates nine fine art galleries in the United States. It is renowned for displaying original paintings, sculptures, and limited edition graphics from some renowned artists like Warhol, Picasso, and more. In California, it is situated in Geary Street, in the heart of Union Square, San Francisco. It has a considerable collection of company-owned artworks, and the gallery connects with artwork collectors around the world. It is a nice place for kids also.

Location : 366 Geary St
Hours : Mon to Sun from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M

Joyce Gordon Gallery is an art gallery in midtown Oakland, California. The Gallery displays art that presents the cultural & social diversity of international artists and the Bay Area. Being situated in the center of downtown Oakland, this Gallery is easily accessible from all around the Bay area. The Gallery offers some of the finest, original art produced primarily by African artists from around the world. It also features a gift shop that has a broad range of local crafts for sale. The Gallery is also available on rent for various events.

Location : 406 14th St
Hours : Wed to Sun from 1 P.M. to 6 P.M. (Mon-Tue closed) (hours are subject to change)

Intersection for the Arts is a not-for-profit art institute in the bedrock Bay Area of San Francisco that operates to support growing artists with resources to flourish. It was instituted in 1965. This institute offers coworking and event space at economical costs. It also offers fiscal sponsorship, business workshops, and staff support for people engaged in the field of arts and culture. The institute currently serves beyond 145 artists and art organizations in seven counties around the Bay Area. You can book tickets for events online.

Hours : Mon to Thu from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., Fri from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. (Sat-Sun closed)
Location : 1446 Market St

Located in San Francisco, African American Art and Cultural Complex is a very popular place to visit among the locals and tourists. This museum promotes the art of African American people, showcasing the black culture. The mission of this NPO is to inspire children and youth to cultivate leadership skills, and promote art and black culture. Definitely a place for history and art enthusiasts.

Hours : Monday to Friday: 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
Satuday:11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday Closed

Galería de la Raza is an art gallery in San Francisco, California. It is one of the well-known places of San Francisco, located in the heart of the Mission District. It is a not-for-profit, community-based cultural hub, largely encouraging works of art by the Latino/ Chicano artists in San Francisco. GDLR organizes exhibitions, hosts poetry readings, workshops, and other events for celebrations. It also sponsors youth and artist-in-residence programs and sells works of art. You have to book your tickets for specific events organized here.

Hours : Tue to Sun from 12 P.M. to 6 P.M. (Mon closed)
Location : 1990 Folsom St

The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) is a museum in Mission Street at Yerba Buena Lane in San Francisco, California. It was established in 1984 and is situated in the heart of downtown San Francisco, amid the South of Market neighborhood. This place is kid-friendly and offers great fun for the entire family. The CJM offers a variety of family-friendly programs that can make your visit memorable and complementing. At this museum, you can play, create art, enjoy live performances, explore the place, and spend a good time.

Hours : Sun to Sat from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M
Admission : Adults - $16, Seniors (above 65 yrs) and Students - $14, Ages (18 & below) and Members - Free.

Colorbloq is one of the best Social and Event locations in San Francisco, California. According to Colorbloq, it's a lot more than space, it is a vision to gather creatively. Colorbloq's name and space both are inspired by the color-blocking concept. It is a place that houses creative culture and events in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco. Colorbloq features around 10,000 sq.ft. space that can house 360 guests.

Hours : Mon to Sun from 7 A.M. to 11 P.M
Things to Know: Smoking not allowed, Pets allowed, Wheelchair Accessible

The Cartoon Art Museum is located at the edge of Fisherman’s Wharf, close to Ghirardelli Square. The museum is a creative cartoon art and caricature museum with works showcased by local and international artists. It is an aesthetic brick building with ample space for exhibits and art shows. The museum has an engaging collection of cartoon art ranging from comic strips, comic book pages, anime and digital cartoon art.

Hours : Thursday- Tuesday: 11:00am to 5:00pm, Closed Wednesdays 
Admission: Adults – $10, San Francisco Resident – $7, Students/Senior/Military/Educator (with valid ID) – $6, Kids (6-12) – $4, Children (5 and Younger) – Free
Location : 781 Beach Street

The Asian Art Museum at San Francisco has a glorious collection of diverse Asian art from over the centuries. It attempts to bridge the gap between Asian and American culture by rediscovering excellent historical artifacts of civilizations from Vietnam, China, and other countries.

Location : 200 Larkin St
Hours : Friday–Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Thursday: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Closed Tuesdays- Wednesdays
Admission : Adults: $15 , Ages 13-17, College students with ID, Seniors (65+): $12, Ages 12 and under: Free

Art Point is a group of people that supports the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and the de Young and the Legion of Honor. It is basically a social club for people interested in art, contemporary artists, exhibitions and events, art - related lectures. These participants must also be members of Fine Arts Museums, San Francisco and should be between the ages 21-40. Art Point hosts annual events like cocktail receptions, exhibitions, lectures etc. for its members.

Hours : 9:00am to 5:00pm (closed on weekends)
Admission : $169, Free for members
Location : 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr

It is a contemporary art gallery showcasing the west coast art movements, including California Beat artists, Bay Area Conceptualists, Experimental California art movements. Exhibitions and fairs can be visited by appointment only.

Hours : 11:00am to 6:00pm (Sundays closed)