Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Illustration — FAMSF logo, 2024 • Illustration — The de Young Museum, part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco • Illustration — The Legion of Honor, part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. FAMSF's combined attendance was 1,158,264 visitors in 2022, making it the fifth most attended art institution in the United States. In 2024, the two combined museums were ranked 15th in The Washington Posts list of the best art museums in the U.S. Opened in 1895, the de Young is home to American art from the 17th century through today, textile arts and costumes, African art, Oceanic art, arts of the Americas, and contemporary art.
Also recorded as FAMSF · fine arts museums of san francisco
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Mark Miller · Public domain
- Founded
- 1972
- Headquarters
- United States
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Illustration — FAMSF logo, 2024 • Illustration — The de Young Museum, part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco • Illustration — The Legion of Honor, part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. FAMSF's combined attendance was 1,158,264 visitors in 2022, making it the fifth most attended art institution in the United States. In 2024, the two combined museums were ranked 15th in The Washington Posts list of the best art museums in the U.S. Opened in 1895, the de Young is home to American art from the 17th century through today, textile arts and costumes, African art, Oceanic art, arts of the Americas, and contemporary art.
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gnd · 1023484-6 · wikidata · Q1416890 · wikipedia · Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
In this article
History
History
Opened in 1924, the Legion of Honor showcases European painting, sculpture, and decorative arts, ancient art, graphic arts, and contemporary art in dialogue with its historical collections and Beaux-Arts style building. In total the collection holds 130,000 objects.
In 1931, the two museums were informally united for the first time when Lloyd LaPage Rollins took over the directorship of the Legion of Honor and was simultaneously appointed the first director of the de Young. In 1972, under the leadership of Ian McKibbin White, the two museums were formally merged to create the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF). At that time, the permanent collections were reorganized and distinct curatorial departments were created.
Leadership
Leadership
• 1924-1930: Cornelia B. Sage Quinton (Legion of Honor) • 1931-1933: Lloyd LaPage Rollins (Legion of Honor and de Young) • 1933-1939: Dr. Walter Heil (Legion of Honor) • 1939-1961: Dr. Walter Heil (de Young) • 1939 -1968: Thomas Carr Howe (Legion of Honor) • 1970-1987: Ian Mckibbin White (FAMSF) • 1987-2005: Harry S. Parker • 2006-2011: John E. Buchanan • 2013-2015: Colin. B Bailey • 2016-2018: Max Hollein • 2018 – Present: Thomas P. Campbell
de Young Museum
de Young Museum
The de Young originated from the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894 and was established as the Memorial Museum. Thirty years later, it was renamed in honor of newspaper publisher Michael Henry de Young, a longtime champion of the museum. The present copper-clad landmark building, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, opened in October 2005. Walter Hood was commissioned to design the landscaping and garden courts for the new building.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
Explore 1972–1976
The full dated record · 3 entries
1972
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco established.
1972
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is recorded from 1972.
1976
Five centuries of tapestry from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: [catalogue] (1976) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
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- United States
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1023484-6, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1416890: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Unverified · Wikidata
reference work
- “Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Legion of Honor
The Legion of Honor was inspired by the French pavilion, a replica of the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur in Paris, at San Francisco's Panama–Pacific International Exposition of 1915. The museum opened in 1924 in the Beaux Arts–style building designed by George Applegarth on a bluff overlooking the Golden Gate. In 1995, the Legion of Honor opened an expansion designed by architects Edward Larrabee Barnes and Mark Cavagnero. It increased the museum's square footage by 42 percent, including the addition of seven additional special exhibition galleries.
Highland Light by George C. Ault, 1929, on display at the de Young Museum. The lighthouse is located in North Truro, Massachusetts.
Cullen328
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authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1023484-6, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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