My SF MoMa Experience

BLOG POST — SF MoMA

(Blog Post + Bay Area Exhibition Review)

My friend and I on the 5th floor

My recent visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MoMA) was an eye-opening experience. It isn’t the first time I’ve visited the museum, but every time I visit is always a new experience. What I love about this museum is the diversity of artwork showcased—from paintings to sculptures, photography to architecture, and filmmaking to next-level immersive experiences. Many exhibitions caught my eye and resonated with my artistic tastes, but one specific 1970s exhibition caught my attention.

Brice Marden and his 1970 Exhibition Review

One of the art exhibitions after 1970 that I appreciate is Brice Marden's work. Marden was an artist born in 1938 in Bronxville, New York, whos work roots in minimalism, abstract expressionism, and color field paintings. Marden is renowned for his contributions to minimalism through his exploration of color and form, which was groundbreaking at the time. 

Brice Marden, Cold Mountain 6 (Bridge), 1989-91, Oil on Linen

Movement & Stillness

The exhibition, aptly described as "a kind of dance," on the front wall, offers a captivating look into Marden's artistic process and evolution post-1970, marked by his departure from monochromatic canvases to the incorporation of vibrant colors and intricate linework. His paintings, characterized by their fluid, gestural lines, and layered surfaces, invite viewers into a meditative space where movement and stillness unite. The paintings, some sprawling across vast canvases, pulsed with life, their lines twirling, bending, and stretching across the surface. Marden had distilled the essence of motion and rhythm into each stroke.

The Curators Made this Exhibition Pop

What set this exhibition apart from the works' visual impact was the curators' insightful analysis. Through careful curation and thoughtful commentary, visitors were guided through the evolution of Marden's artistic journey, highlighting his shift from minimalism to a more expressive form of painting influenced by his travels, particularly to Greece and Asia. This context enriched the viewing experience, offering a deeper understanding of the artist's intent and the cultural influences that shaped his work.

Brice Marden, 6 (course), 1987-88, Oil on Linen

My Experience at MoMA

I am grateful for the opportunities I have in my classes to go out and explore museums and be exposed to the fantastic world of artwork. One thing is to study something and only see it through a PowerPoint presentation, but another is to see the artwork with your own eyes. Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Frida Kahlo, among many other artists, are all artists I have studied whose work I saw in this museum. 

Though these incredible exhibitions fascinate me, what equally captures my interest is the architecture, signage, graphic design, and even the people from around the world I encounter.

The museum is centrally located right in the urban core of San Francisco, its immediate surroundings providing a relaxing and inviting atmosphere, despite being in the city center. Right across the block is a park, The Contemporary Jewish Museum, and the Yerba Buena Center of the Arts. If you are a city lover, you will most definitely enjoy visiting.

The museum in the urban core of San Francisco

The Graphic Design

I am a graphic designer, and the museum's signage and the graphic design on the maps, brochures, tickets, and pamphlets, also captured my attention. I was inspired by the hugeness and boldness of the exhibition titles on the wall. Upon ascending to the second floor, the Zanele Muholi: Eyes On Me exhibition instantly commands attention. This display showcases a striking contrast of black and white hues. Particular galleries are shrouded in inky black walls, causing Muholi's powerful photography to leap off the surfaces. Other spaces bask in crisp white paint, allowing the artist's darker works to make a bold statement. The curators' use of monochromatic color schemes amplifies the raw emotional impact of the pieces. Just steps away, the Chiura Obata exhibit offers another refreshing shift in palette. Soft pastel oranges and creamy tones wash over the walls, warmly embracing the artist's compositions of landscapes and scenes. These muted yet vibrant shades are my personal favorites.

Zanele Muholi: Eye Me (Second Floor)

Graphic design also played a pivotal role in crafting an immersive, unified experience throughout the museum. A cohesive visual language emerges from the moment visitors receive the exhibition pamphlets. The typographic choices, layout grids, and color palettes seamlessly align with the museum's distinct aesthetics and approach to the artist's work. Wayfinding signage and interpretive text panels continue this graphic narrative, guiding guests on a visually harmonious journey. The graphics team put a lot of care into allowing the art to remain the focal point while providing a consistent yet unobtrusive framing device. This level of thoughtful design integration, often overlooked, elevates the museum visit from a series of disconnected encounters to a holistically curated voyage of discovery. 

The MoMA café on the fifth floor

All in all, this museum experience was truly remarkable, and what’s better than to go with family and friends. Not just the SF MoMA, but any museum is an opportunity to bond with someone, and culture, and create memorable experiences. SF MoMA in particular, does a great job of creating a memorable experience—it’s located right in the beautiful city, it has diverse artwork, striking exhibitions, is a journey through American history, the architecture and graphic design is amazing, and you meet all kinds of new people. 10/10 would recommend.