The renovated San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) will open to the public on Saturday, May 14, 2016, offering nearly three times the previous exhibition space. Photo: SFMOMA | © Henrik Kam.
This week, after having been closed for two years for renovations and new construction, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will finally begin selling tickets. The museum officially reopens May 14th from 10 AM – 8 PM, with an opening ceremony scheduled for 9 in the morning. After the museum opens, SFMOMA will be the largest museum of its kind in the world, with the new additions of more than 4,000 works and plenty of new exhibits.
Opening day for the museum will be free, but visitors will need timed tickets to get in, available every fifteen minutes. Once inside, visitors will see a host of beautiful new art and innovative exhibits. Included in these are three California art galleries named after financier Thom Weisel, who donated 200 pieces of Southwestern Native American art to SFMOMA.
The modified museum will be roughly three times the size of its former building. The new construction houses 460,000 square feet—seven floors of art, one of which is larger than all five floors of the older building. Also included in the massive space is the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, comprised of 1,100 works by 68 artists. This collection is on loan to the museum for the next hundred years.
“This [museum] is a game changer for San Francisco,” said Neal Benezra, director of SFMOMA. “It lifts us to the top ranks for museums of modern and contemporary art in the world.”
The new structures cost an estimated $305 million to create, and the new admission price is set to recoup some of that expense. The museum will be open every day of the week from ten to five and ten to nine on Thursdays. General admission will be set at $25, while members, who pay $100 a year, receive free admission. Visitors 18 or under will also receive free admission. Ticket cost for seniors will be $22, and visitors of student age (19-24) will pay $19.
“We’re hoping pretty much the whole city of San Francisco will stop by to check out the building. Then they will be so seduced by what they see that they will pop for a ticket,” said Ruth Berson, Deputy Museum Director.
Tickets officially go on sale March 30th.
