The San Diego Museum of Art is proud to announce the acquisition of two outstanding paintings, Nymph of the Spring (ca. 1540) by Lucas Cranach the Younger and Portrait of John Alfred Parsons Millet (1892) by John Singer Sargent. Both works fill important gaps in the Museum’s holdings, with the Sargent strengthening the already expansive collection of portraits, and the Cranach being the most important Northern Renaissance painting in the collection. Nymph of the Spring is currently on display in Genre and Myth, and Portrait of John Alfred Parsons Millet is on view in the American Art galleries. Nymph of the Spring by Lucas Cranach the Younger is an exceptionally well-preserved painting of a nude lying in a landscape, softly gazing at the viewer. The son of Lucas Cranach the…

The San Diego Museum of Art’s 37th annual Art Alive returns April 26 – April 29, 2018, bringing together 100+ floral designers to transform works of art into exquisite floral displays. As the Museum’s signature fundraiser and a highly anticipated San Diego spring tradition, Art Alive 2018 brings works of art to life during a four-day celebration that will provide support for the Museum’s education and outreach programs as well as special exhibitions. Art Alive has grown significantly over the years. Last year it welcomed more than 12,000 attendees and set a new record for funds raised. This year, Natasha Lisitsa and Daniel Schultz, the wife-and-husband team behind Waterlily Pond Studio in San Francisco, have been selected as the Rotunda Designers. The duo will transform the Museum’s famed Rotunda into a blaze…

The San Diego Museum of Art is pleased to present Nancy Lorenz: Moon Gold, the first solo museum exhibition for the noted contemporary artist Nancy Lorenz. Organized by The San Diego Museum of Art, this exhibition comprises more than 85 works, some of which are inspired by Japanese masterpieces from the Museum’s permanent collection. Nancy Lorenz: Moon Gold will be on view April 27, 2018 through September 3, 2018.   Lorenz is a New York-based artist celebrated for her sophisticated technique and luminous art. She uses materials such as mother-of-pearl inlay, lacquer, and gold leaf in painterly gestures to create outstanding works of art. Having trained in the conservation of Japanese decorative arts, Lorenz continues to employ traditional lacquering and gilding techniques as points of departure in her studio practice….

Private Collection will be Displayed Publicly for the First Time SAN DIEGO, CA – The San Diego Museum of Art is pleased to present Modern Masters from Latin America: The Pérez Simón Collection, an exhibition showcasing nearly 100 works of art by some of the greatest modern masters from countries including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Drawn from one of the world’s foremost private collections, this exhibition illustrates the multifaceted history of Latin American modernism. The collection will be on view at the Museum October 21, 2017 through March 11, 2018. Spanning the late 1800s to the first decade of this century, Modern Masters from Latin America: The Pérez Simón Collection represents more than 75 artists, each celebrated for their respective…

Brenda Biondo: Play Comes to The San Diego Museum of Art SAN DIEGO, CA – The San Diego Museum of Art is pleased to present Brenda Biondo: Play, on view from July 1, 2017 through January 7, 2018. Colorado-based photographer Brenda Biondo is best known for her images focusing on constructed abstractions, conservation and land-based issues. Brenda Biondo: Play brings together 25 photographs from two bodies of work. The first series, Playground, is a collection of contemporary photographs of children’s playgrounds from the 1920s to the 1970s. After visiting a modern playground with her children and observing the striking differences from the play equipment of her childhood, Biondo was inspired to capture the nostalgic cultural artifacts that shaped generations of Americans in an effort to preserve their place in history….

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) and The San Diego Museum of Art To Present 17th Annual Axline Lecture Featuring Photographer Catherine Opie. Long-standing collaboration brings internationally acclaimed artists to San Diego San Diego, CA—The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) and The San Diego Museum of Art will present internationally renowned photographer Catherine Opie as the featured speaker for the 17th annual Axline Lecture on Thursday, May 11, at the Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall, located at 5775 Morehouse Drive, San Diego, CA 92121. Please contact Communications & Marketing Manager Leah Straub for high-resolution images or to schedule interviews. Catherine Opie’s work both documents and gives voice to America’s communities and the landscapes they inhabit. Working between conceptual and documentary approaches to image making, Opie examines familiar genres—portraiture,…

San Diego –The San Diego Museum of Art’s 36th annual Art Alive, an event in which floral designers transform famous works of art from the permanent collection into exquisite floral displays, returns April 28–April 30, 2017. A highly anticipated San Diego spring tradition, Art Alive is the Museum’s signature fundraiser that provides support for education, outreach programs and special exhibitions. For the Art Alive exhibition, more than 100 floral designers from throughout Southern California are selected to create floral interpretations of the Museum’s most famous works of art. Following the completion of the reinstallation of many of the Museum’s permanent collection galleries, floral designers will be inspired by the most prominent highlights in the collection including works from Diego Rivera, René Magritte, Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, Francisco de Zurbarán, Goya,…

The San Diego Museum of Art Awarded Reaccreditation by American Alliance of Museums SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Museum of Art is pleased to announce it has received reaccreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the leading professional organization for museums in the United States. The reaccreditation signifies the Museum’s commitment to meeting, and in many areas exceeding, the national standards and best practices for U.S. Museums, while holding itself publicly accountable to excellence. The rigorous accreditation process, which takes 8-16 months to complete, is peer-driven and provides invaluable feedback and validation of museum operations and impact. The requirements cover everything from high standards of collection care and climate control, to effective and mission-driven leadership, governance, and strategic planning. The AAM Accreditation Commission, comprised of museum leaders from…

GURU’s ‘The San Diego Museum of Art App’ Selected as a Winner of CONNECT’s 29th Annual Most Innovative New Product Awards GURU’s ‘The San Diego Museum of Art App’ Selected as a Winner of CONNECT’s 29th Annual Most Innovative New Product Awards Popular Mobile App Offers Museum Visitors an Enhanced Experience Through Augmented Reality and Beacon Technology SAN DIEGO – December 4, 2016. The San Diego Museum of Art, the region’s oldest, largest and most visited art museum, announced that The San Diego Museum of Art App (SDMA App), powered by Guru, has been selected as a winner in the Software, Digital Media, Mobile App Category at CONNECT’s 29th Annual Most Innovative New Product Awards. CONNECT, a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales companies in…

THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART ACQUIRES SPANISH BAROQUE MASTERPIECE 17th-Century Painting from Jusepe de Ribera Joins Museum’s Extensive Collection of Spanish Art SAN DIEGO, CA – The San Diego Museum of Art is proud to announce the acquisition of Saint James the Lesser (ca. 1632) by Jusepe de Ribera. This 17th-century work by the renowned Spanish Baroque master builds on the Museum’s prestigious collection of Spanish art. The painting is currently on display in the European galleries alongside other masterpieces in the collection by Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and El Greco. Considered the first great Old Master of the Spanish Baroque, Jusepe de Ribera is known for his detailed, unflinchingly hyperrealistic depictions of the human body. Born in Spain, Ribera moved to Italy seeking prominence as a…