The San Diego Museum has a lot to see. There are 20 galleries at our main facility in the heart of Balboa Park, a sculpture garden, and the galleries at the Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art (MOPA@SDMA) a short walk away. Short on time or not sure where to begin? Make the most of your visit by exploring Museum highlights that deliver a variety of experiences at the Museum! Stroll through the serene May S. Marcy Sculpture Garden, uncover hidden gems in the Visible Vaults, or capture stunning photos in the elegant rotunda. Get inspired by our free galleries in Galleries 14 & 15, engage with interactive digital displays, and enjoy rotating exhibitions across our galleries, including at MOPA@SDMA. Plus, no visit is complete…

Go Behind the Scenes of The San Diego Museum of Art’s Top Foodie Event of the Year Sizzling scallops, artisanal pizza, plant-based bowls, beautiful bao burgers, crisp crudo, and delicious desserts are just some of the decadent delights that will greet foodies and revelers at Bloom Bash, the vibrant, late-night celebration on Friday, April 25, 2025, that kicks off Art Alive weekend at The San Diego Museum of Art. This year marks the 10th edition of Bloom Bash, San Diego’s most anticipated springtime celebration, where art, florals, and flavor come together in one spectacular evening! As we honor a decade of vibrant creativity, this milestone event promises an unforgettable experience filled with stunning art installations, festive flowers, live entertainment, and, of course, an incredible culinary lineup of 35+ top regional…

SAN DIEGO, CA (April 2025) – The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) proudly announces its upcoming major exhibition, Eduardo Chillida: Convergence, a comprehensive celebration of one of the foremost sculptors of postwar Europe. Opening on August 2, 2025, and running through February 8, 2026, this extraordinary exhibition marks the centenary of Eduardo Chillida (1924 – 2002) and highlights his enduring legacy. As the only US venue participating in the global centenary celebration, SDMA is honored to present the most expansive survey of Chillida’s works shown in the US in nearly 50 years. Eduardo Chillida: Convergence spans the artist’s prolific career and features an exceptional range of materials, including forged iron, oak, alabaster, and clay. The exhibition includes iconic large-scale sculptures, delicate works on paper, and a virtual reality experience…

Highlights include groundbreaking photography, Modernist art, Mexican printmaking, and Dutch masterpieces from the Golden Age SAN DIEGO, CA (February 2025) – The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) opens eight new exhibitions this 2025 winter–spring season, featuring a wide-ranging lineup at both SDMA and The Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art (MOPA@SDMA). With a celebration of women photographers; a tribute to the American Minimalism art movement; intricate, large-scale digital creations by Ruud van Empel; and an exploration of modernist printmaking from Mexico, these exhibitions promise to inspire, challenge, and delight both local and national audiences. “We are proud to present this diverse and exciting season of exhibitions across our two Balboa Park locations, highlighting a range of artistic movements, historical periods, and global perspectives,” states…

Celebrate more than 40 years of Art Alive and the tenth edition of Bloom Bash with art, architecture, and floral creativity inspired by the groundbreaking designs of Lord Norman Foster San Diego, CA. (February 2025) – The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) is in full bloom this spring, with floral designers interpreting works of art and architecture into vibrant floral displays from April 24 to April 27, 2025. Art Alive is the Museum’s signature annual fundraiser, providing critical year-round support for exhibitions, education, and outreach programs in the community. This year, the tenth edition of the Art Alive kick-off party Bloom Bash promises to make a splash with its most colorful and large-scale festivities yet. Art Alive brings a dazzling array of nearly 80 colorful floral arrangements interpreting art…

Foster + Partners: Architecture of Light and Space displays historic architectural design achievements and introduces early concept design of San Diego Museum of Art west wing renovation Exhibition on view October 19, 2024–April 27, 2025 San Diego, CA. (October 2024)– Showcasing groundbreaking architectural designs by Lord Norman Foster and his internationally renowned studio Foster + Partners, a new exhibition titled Foster + Partners: Architecture of Light and Space opens at The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) this fall. On view October 19, 2024, through April 27, 2025, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the innovative architectural vision of Foster + Partners, one of the world’s leading architectural firms, renowned for their pioneering approach to design and sustainability, through models, drawings, and an early concept design of the Museum’s west…

Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World On View September 7, 2024, through January 5, 2025 San Diego, CA. (July 2024)– The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) invites visitors to explore sources of wonder in the forthcoming exhibition, Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World. The exhibition explores intersections of science and craft in Islamic material culture and contemporary art through the framework of a 13th-century text by Zakariyya ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini describing the wonders of the universe. Wonders of Creation is on view from September 7, 2024, through January 5, 2025. This trailblazing exhibition, organized by Ladan Akbarnia, Ph.D., Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at The San Diego Museum of Art, showcases over 200 extraordinary works of art…

SAN DIEGO, CA. (June 2024) – The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) is pleased to welcome Prix Pictet Human, the latest exhibition from the world’s leading award for photography and sustainability, to the Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art (MOPA@SDMA) galleries, the only US stop on the international tour of Prix Pictet Human. The exhibition will be on view from September 27 through December 15, 2024, at MOPA@SDMA in Balboa Park. The Prix Pictet Award was founded in 2008 by the Pictet Group with the goal of harnessing the power of photography to draw attention to the critical issue of global sustainability. There have been 10 cycles of the Prix Pictet award, each with its own theme highlighting a particular facet of sustainability. The…

The San Diego Museum of Art is your hub for inspiration. At the Museum we aim to inspire, educate, and cultivate curiosity through great works of art, and we believe that art is for everyone. Compiled here are seven ways to enjoy free general admission to the Museum throughout the year. Please note, free general admission does not include access to special exhibitions with supplemental admission costs, nor to the Museum galleries during special events, including Art Alive. Located in the heart of Balboa Park, The San Diego Museum of Art is the region’s largest and most visited art museum. The Museum’s internationally renowned collection of more than 32,000 works includes European old masters, the Edwin Binney 3rd Collection of South Asian paintings, East Asian art, art from the Americas,…

San Diego, CA. (April 2024) – The Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art (MOPA@SDMA) is pleased to welcome three new photography exhibitions this spring: Picture This: Recent Acquisitions, Storyteller: Work by Holly Roberts, and The Artist Speaks: Cara Romero. Learn more about the individual exhibitions below. Picture This: Recent Acquisitions (open now through August 4, 2024)The works on view have been selected from over a thousand photographs received as gifts to the Museum of Photographic Arts and The San Diego Museum of Art collections in the last three years, culminating with the merger of the Museum of Photographic Arts and The San Diego Museum of Art. The combined photographic arts collection now contains over fifteen thousand works spanning mediums such as photography, video, and new…