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FRAME|WORK: An Ancient Egyptian Relief from the Tomb of Mentuemhet

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on November 30, 2011

FRAME|WORK is a weekly blog series that highlights an artwork in the Museums' permanent collections. This week, with the holiday shopping frenzy upon us, we feature a depiction of ancient Egyptian gift giving in the Relief from the Tomb of Mentuemhet, currently on view at the Legion of Honor.

Relief from the Tomb of Mentuemhet, ca. 660 BC. Egypt, Thebes. Limestone with polychrome. Museum purchase, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum. 51.4.2

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Meet the de Young Family

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on November 25, 2011

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season when we reflect on what we value most in life: family. Family is also the focus of Artist Fellow Kevin Epps’s documentary Fam Bam, which critically examines the structure of the black family in America and premieres this Friday Night at the de Young.

In keeping with this theme, the final Friday Night of the season will host a San Francisco family reunion, de Young style. Share the de Young with your loved ones by taking this self-guided tour through the permanent collection to see how artists from around the world and throughout history have depicted the age-old subject of family.

Start your tour in Gallery 12 just off of Wilsey Court, where you will enter the mysterious world of Ralph Eugene Meatyard: Masks and Dolls. Meatyard's family, although often masked, served as the primary model for the photographer. Focusing on childhood and familial relationships, Meatyard sought to reveal the emotional reality of universal experiences.

Ambrose Bierce, 1964. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery.

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FRAME|WORK: Halved Cabbage by Edward Weston

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on November 23, 2011

Tomorrow, most of us will sit down with family and friends to enjoy a cornucopia of Thanksgiving comestibles that will leave many satiated to the point of sickness. In preparation, this week’s FRAME|WORK takes a closer look at Edward Weston’s Halved Cabbage, whose beauty and detail give new meaning to the concept of good taste.

Edward Weston (American, 1886–1958). Halved Cabbage, 1930. Gelatin silver print. Museum Purchase, M. H. deYoung Memorial Museum, 1931. 53942

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FRAME|WORK: Seed Jar by Jacob Koopee

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on November 16, 2011

FRAME|WORK is a weekly blog series that highlights an artwork in the Museums' permanent collections. This week we feature an extraordinary contemporary piece of Pueblo pottery born out of centuries-old traditions. Jacob Koopee's seed jar is currently on display at the de Young.

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Monet's Water Lilies Returns to the Legion of Honor!

Posted by Melissa Buron on November 14, 2011

Claude Monet’s incomparable Water Lilies has returned to Gallery 19 at the Legion of Honor! Following its display in two important temporary exhibitions, Water Lilies visited the Fine Arts Museums’ paintings conservation laboratory. In celebration of Monet’s birthday today, here is a behind-the-scenes look at the painting’s whereabouts over the past year.

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Water Lilies, ca. 1914–1917. Oil on canvas. Museum purchase, Mildred Anna Williams Collection. 1973.3

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To Honor the Dead While Serving the Living

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on November 11, 2011

On Armistice Day in 1924, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor opened its doors to the public. Dedicated to the 3,600 California soldiers, sailors and marines who gave their lives during World War I, the Legion of Honor pledged to “honor the dead while serving the living.”

Today, we not only celebrate the sacrifices of countless servicemen and women, but also the 87th birthday of the Legion of Honor Museum. To commemorate this meaningful day, we hope you enjoy this selection of related artwork.

Unidentified artist. Union soldier with his rifle, ca. 1861–1865. Ambrotype. Gift of William Rubel. 1986.3.34.

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