San Diego Museum Of Art

We visited San Diego over Christmas week and visited several of the museums in Balboa Park with our children. The San Diego Museum of Art is small, but has a decent collection. We particularly enjoyed the music collection, as well as the Asian art. Of course there are many more impressive art museums in the country, but this one has a few gems. We also found it to be decently kid-​friendly, as there were places to draw (such as the jazz-​inspired art in the music exhibit and the «kid room» downstairs).

I don’t visit San Diego often, but when I do, I visit museums.
I was free on Wednesday and thought it would be a good time to drop by SDMOA. However, I found out they’re closed on Wednesdays, which I find it quite odd. Okay, so I came back the next day thinking all’s well. I guess I was asking for too much. I was told «part» of the museum will be closed for renovation. What part of «part» is pretty much the entire museum. I can’t believe out of all of the collection, every exhibit’s closed except for the Asian Art section and a traveling show about music & art. I still had to pay regular price for it. It’s truly the saddest museum experience I’ve ever had.

A really frustrating visit, I came to study and draw but I was asked to check my bag at the door because I might «back into a painting» which I didn’t mind complying with until I realized that anyone who looked over 30 were not required to check their bags. After clumsily dropping my art supplies I was balancing in my arms every few steps, I gave up and left.
It’s really sad that the museum isn’t conducive to students. How are you going to foster a love of arts in a new generation if you are discriminating against them?

Impressive museum that runs through just about every major art period from ancient Egypt to French impressionism. Formal layout, large beige stone block construction, Baroque revival exterior.
There is an admission fee, but it well worth the price. I would budget 2 hours to just about exhaust the collection.

This is one of several great museums in Balboa Park. Works from masters like Rembrandt, El Greco, Matisse, and Dali, along with some lesser known (at least to me) but equally great painters like William-​Adolphe Bouguereau and Juan Sánchez Cotán. I was especially smitten by Bouguereau’s «The Young Shepherdess». Cotán’s still life, «Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber», is amazing, especially since it was done in 1603. And no one did still life painting back then.
There are several works of European art, including Italian Renaissance paintings, plus Post-​Impressionist and Spanish paintings like two of Francisco de Zurbarán’s «St. Francis…» The Art of Asia exhibit is interesting, especially if you borrow a magnifying glass from the wall and examine the intricate detail in the paintings. The museum even has some of Rodin’s smaller sculptures.
Plus, like all museums, they have rotating exhibits. While I was there, some of the temporary works impressed me as much as the permanent exhibits.

This museum was really busy most likely due to the music & art exhibits. I was glad to come in and see the many different pieces of peoples’ love thru their expression. I was greeted by this cute little elderly lady dressed in Victorian clothes. I did not jot her name down, however her smile shined and in turn made me smile. I know it has been a long time since I’ve gone to a museum and I urge you to come visit the museum free or not. It’s nice to see history and culture. There are things that me and Hubbs saw that were thousands upon thousands of years old. Where else could we have seen vases from China, mirrors, and people/​dog scupltues that were 2000 years old. I also enjoyed the area where there were Japanese art drawings anf paintings. They seem to be very colorful and pretty.
What a great way to spend my Tuesday!

I was at the San Diego museum of art last week with a couple friends while trying to kill time during bad weather. The museum was beautiful and the pieces were great. My friends and I aren’t «museum people», but the staff had us download their free app onto our iPhones and we had a blast. It was easy to use and was really interesting and really funny. We didn’t expect to laugh this much in a museum. Get the app next time you visit and be prepared to have a great time.

My husband and I recently visited the San Diego Museum of Art and found it very enjoyable. We were able to see one of their new Exhibits Coney Island however the museum would not allow photographs since the exhibits were on loan.
I really enjoyed the Art of Asia… some of the work was so intricate you had to use a magnify glass to see the elaborate designs. There was a beautiful array of colors, carvings, sculptures and stone to just name a few.
In addition, I found the works of Gregory Crewdson: Dream House interesting and a little disturbing all at the same time. His chromogenic prints all have light as a background of suburban life however in each picture all is not as it seems. His prints also consisted of well known celebrities who are immediately identifiable.
Definitely a must see however you need to choice which exhibits interest you the most as they change often.

Excellent exhibition on music in art.
Wd prefer better parking but, eh…
Employees friendly
More modern please

Always AMAZING free tours by Ross. You will be lucky if you get his descriptive and knowledge filled with fascinating facts tour!!! Gray haired gentleman jump to go on his tours!

Very great pieces! The staff were really nice and polite and were really educated about the pieces that were showcased that day! I came here with a friend for her project and I’m pretty sure this museum helped her a ton! Overall, I’ve enjoyed my day here and would like to return again

will definitely have to visit this place if I decide to relocate to san diego
I love art and culture but not much to see where i currently live

Come and see the Gregory Crewdson exhibit. Holy (insert expletive of your choice)! It is amazing!

It’s hard to know where and how to rate and rank art museums. I’m spoiled, having been in proximity to the Met, MoMa, AIC, PMA… but I’ve come across tiny off the radar museums that I have loved. The museum is small with limited artworks.
My visit to this museum was good. Tickets were $ 12, and while they didn’t have a lot in the permanent exhibit that I was crazy about, the Coney Island exhibit was awesome. We spent 90% of our time in this section and it was really enjoyable. I probably wouldn’t go back unless there was a special exhibit that tickled my fancy.

I love museums and never pass up an opportunity to visit somewhere new when I’m traveling. The San Diego Museum of Art is a gem that did not disappoint. It’s not a very big place so easy could be only part of your day in Balboa Park. While there are only a few pieces the general public will recognize, many well-​known artists are represented in the collection with lesser known pieces.
To be honest, I didn’t get a warm welcome when coming in, the security guard was rather curt about my sling handbag being large. There is a coat/​bag check if you need it. My opinion soon changed after wandering around and deciding to take the scheduled free docent tour. While visiting the first gallery together, the other couple with the tour realized the time and had to leave so I ended up with a private tour! If I remembered his name I would give a shout out to my guide; friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about sharing his museum!

Wow! We attended the Arts Alive floral art event and were blown away by the outstanding talent and artistry. Amazing!!!
Behind all those beautiful arrangements is a profound collection of art that warrants a return visit to spend more time.
Hoping to get back soon to give the permanent collection the attention it commands.

We have been members of SDMA for fifteen years and are glad to support our local art museum. After having lived with the art scene in Washington, DC and New York this is a very small museum, but it’s all we have.
The museum has permanent collections of of European, American, Latin American, and Asian Art. None of these are large, but they are a nice representation. At any one time there three or more special exhibitions. Some of the more memorable exhibitions from the past year or tow have been «Gauguin to Warhol: 20^th Century Icons from the Albright-​Knox Art Gallery», «Arnold Newman: Masterclass» and «Sorolla and America». The exhibits are well curated and the exhibit space is sufficient to have medium sized exhibits.
The museum offers free daily docent led tours. You can find a schedule of them here:
The museum also has a very nice store with a good collection of art and architecture books, cards, jewelry and toys. Members receive a 10% discounts.
If you visit more than once a year, I would like to encourage you to become a member. A single membership is $ 45 per year, a dual $ 75. This allows you unlimited visits to the museum, and you will be supporting a wonderful cause.
Art is beautiful, Art is educational and Art is an essential element of the human experience!

I honestly had no high expectations of this museum when my friends invited me to check out the Gauguin to Warhol exhibit. The only reason I went was because they had a free ticket for me. But surprisingly I had a very fun time. I don’t know the last time I went to an art museum and liked it. The only ones I have been to are the big European ones which completely ruined museums for me. Huge crowds, expensive admission, and long lines to see art the size of my fist. Nope everything about this place was great.
The art was very impressive. I have always told myself why go see art when I can just google it but after seeing some of these giant pieces up close I take that back. Very impressive exhibit. The museum is located in the heart of Balboa park so very nice views and atmosphere. They rotate their exhibits every couple months so check out their website to see whats there. Admission is $ 12.

My family and I came here today to see the Gauguin to Warhol: 20^th Century Icons from the Albright-​Knox Art Gallery exhibit. Overall, it was great to see so many works from the great artists like Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Salvador Dalí, and Frida Kahlo, among others.
I took a photo of one of the paintings from Picasso (no flash of course) and I was immediately approached by one of the «guards» who said that no photos were allowed. This is fine by me although I wished they would have mentioned that when we bought our way in. I had my camera out in plain view.
Anyway, my children got a little more culture and we got a chance to visit the museums in Balboa Park. Our kids were free for Kidvasion in San Diego (kids are free all month in October). Just remember to print out the coupon from the Kidvasion site. We didn’t but they let our kids in free anyway ;-)

This is a wonderful museum. It is great to live in a city with such great attractions like the museums in Balboa Park.
I saw the Sorolla and America exhibit last Saturday. I got there a 3pm and there was a free tour of the exhibit starting just as we walked in. One of the Docents was talking about some of the history and the background of the artist and pointed out many of the highlights.
It was great and we really enjoyed ourselves. Take advantage of the free tours so you can learn more and be cultured.