Collection Articles
Jun 15, 2018
The history of American cinema is filled with the stories of countless might-have-beens; screenplays that seemed destined for the screen, but which somehow got lost along the way. Of all the projects that have fallen through...
May 29, 2018
Nature surrounds and permeates the de Young, from the lush greenery brushing its surfaces to its actual architectural design. Constructed to aesthetically complement the landscape of Golden Gate Park, the annular patterning...
Apr 25, 2018
Acquiring art allows us to not only to fill gaps in our collection, but also allows us to display key works that enhance the experience of our special exhibitions. In rare circumstances, an acquisition completely transforms...
Apr 24, 2018
Fans have served as accessories of fashion and objects of utility since antiquity, but reached their peak production and use in Europe in the eighteenth century. Made from and embellished by an abundance of precious...
Mar 14, 2018
While fans were a staple of the eighteenth-century woman’s wardrobe, visitors to the exhibition Fans of the Eighteenth Century at the de Young may be surprised to learn that these accessories were also useful social...
May 5, 2017
Transits is a series that looks at the movement of art in the Fine Art Museums’ collection. A familiar favorite, Peter Paul Rubens's The Tribute Money was recently deinstalled at the Legion of Honor. Here,...
Apr 20, 2017
What does resistance look like, as seen through a camera lens? Three civil rights movement veterans – Chude Allen, Bruce Hartford, and Ron Bridgeforth – meditated on advice they would give to activists today, prompted by...
Feb 23, 2017
A lonely two-lane road splits the quiet countryside of Mississippi. A small huddle of white men shield themselves with a sign that reads “Members Only.” A black woman looks away from a funeral procession to challenge the...
Feb 21, 2017
In early February, the Fine Arts Museums announced the acquisition from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation in Atlanta of 62 works by African-American artists from the Southern United States. These works address some of the most...
Jan 25, 2017
Thanksgiving is when you get to use all the best stuff in your kitchen: the gravy boat, the fancy napkins, and, of course, the turkey deep fryer. Louis XIV and the other French monarchs who succeeded him obviously didn’t...