The Anniversary Show
Leslie Shows, Two Ways to Organize, 2006; acrylic, charcoal, metal, mud, rust, and collage on panel; Collection SFMOMA, James and Eileen Ludwig Fund Purchase; © Leslie Shows
Jackson Pollock, Guardians of the Secret, 1943; oil on canvas; Collection SFMOMA, Albert M. Bender Collection, Albert M. Bender Bequest Fund purchase; © Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Jeff Koons, Michael Jackson and Bubbles, 1988; porcelain; Collection SFMOMA, Purchased through the Marian and Bernard Messenger Fund and restricted funds; © Jeff Koons
David Park, Two Bathers, 1958; oil on canvas; Collection SFMOMA, Purchase through gifts of Mrs. Wellington S. Henderson, Helen Crocker Russell, and the Crocker Family, by exchange, and the Mary Heath Keesling Fund; © Estate of David Park
Richard Diebenkorn, Cityscape I (formerly Landscape I), 1963; oil on canvas; Collection SFMOMA, Purchased with funds from Trustees and friends in memory of Hector Escobosa, Brayton Wilbur, and J. D. Zellerbach; © Estate of Richard Diebenkorn
December 19, 2009 - January 16, 2011
On January 18, SFMOMA marks its 75th year as a pioneering force in art, locally and globally. From mounting Jackson Pollock's first solo museum exhibition in 1945 to exhibiting vernacular photographs and championing the emerging Mission School scene in the mid-1990s, SFMOMA has consistently broken new ground, challenging the conventional wisdom of what an art museum should present and collect. The Anniversary Show brings together more than 400 works from the collection, including paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, videos, photographs, architectural models, and design objects. Beginning with SFMOMA's founding in 1935, the exhibition highlights moments when the history of the museum has intersected meaningfully with the history of art. It includes a range of artists whose early career work SFMOMA had the foresight to collect, such as Bruce Conner, Jay DeFeo, Frida Kahlo, Jeff Koons, Sherrie Levine, Mike Mandel and Larry Sultan, Barry McGee, Pollock, and Leslie Shows. The Anniversary Show also gives visitors an insider's view of SFMOMA's evolution through correspondence, photos, videos, and interviews from key moments in the museum's history.
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Did You Know?
SFMOMA created a television show about art that aired on KRON in the 1950s. Called Art in Your Life, the show looked broadly at contemporary art in all media, emphasizing art's relevance to the everyday. Watch clips on view in The Anniversary Show.
The Anniversary Show is presented by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art as part of 75 Years of Looking Forward, a series of exhibitions and events organized in celebration of the museum's anniversary. Major support is provided by the Koret Foundation. Additional support for 75 Years of Looking Forward is provided by Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners.
