If you're fearing modern art withdrawal when SFMOMA shuts its doors on June 3 for its two-and-a-half-year-long expansion, rest assured. The museum has planned robust offsite programming to give you the culture fix you crave. Here's what to look out for around town.
Crissy Field (May 2013–May 2014)
SFMOMA has teamed up with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate Parks Conservancy for a yearlong waterfront display near the Golden Gate Bridge. Curated by SFMOMA director (and one of this year's Hot 30s > refer back to 7x7's October issue) Neal Benezra, the exhibition at Crissy Field is comprised of eight large-scale, steel sculptures by artist Mark di Suvero, who emigrated from Shanghai to San Francisco when he was seven and was greatly inspired by his passage under the GG Bridge (which opened a few years before his arrival). The outdoor exhibit (including a recent sculpture that's never been on view to the public before) is the largest display of the sculptor's work ever shown on the West Coast, and, wait for it … it's free.
Contemporary Jewish Museum (June 27–October 27, 2013)
"Beyond Belief: 100 Years of the Spiritual in Modern Art" explores the connections between art and spirituality, with works from Paul Klee and Piet Mondrian to Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko to Kiki Smith and Teresita Fernández.
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford (November 13, 2013–March 16, 2014)
"Flesh and Metal: Body and Machine in Early 20th-Century Art" looks at the inherent tensions between man-made and machine-made, with more than 60 paintings, sculptures, photographs, and illustrated books by such artists as Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, and Man Ray.
Los Altos (winter 2013–2014)
Silicon Valley gets a modern art makeover in this city-wide showing of works, both existing and newly commissioned site-specific projects. Artists respond to the history and culture of the place and its community in a variety of media.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (spring 2014)
This show will focus on issues of intimacy, gender, sexuality, and violence in South Africa as told by contemporary South African artists and performers, many of whom take an activist approach to their work.
Asian Art Museum (summer 2014)
An interesting collaboration between SFMOMA and the Asian Art Museum, this exhibit looks at the meaning of beauty and its sometimes extreme forms through the lens of Asian and Western art.
Various Venues
Hot off the press: SFMOMA just announced the four recipients of the 2012 SECA Art Award, a biennial honor that recognizes the most promising up-and-coming Bay Area talent. This year's winners are Zarouhie Abdalian, Josh Faught, Jonn Herschend, and David Wilson, and the off-site commissions of their work will begin in the fall of 2013 at various locations.
Shown simultaneously at different venues in the fall of 2014 are the three works that comprise Doug Aitken's Empire trilogy—the LA–based artist's trio of video installations reflecting on migration and myths of the West.
This barely scratches the surface of SFMOMA's extensive programming, so be sure to check their site regularly for updates and greater detail about what's going on around town.
