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 Roxana Velásquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO of The San Diego Museum of Art. “Our curators have thoughtfully pieced together a full season of exhibitions to provide inspiration and intrigue for all visitors.”
Upcoming Exhibitions at SDMA and MOPA@SDMA
Women in Focus
February 1–July 13, 2025 at MOPA@SDMA
Despite facing societal limitations and gender bias, women photographers found opportunities in the field and excelled in various genres, helping shape the medium’s history from the mid-nineteenth century to today. This exhibition highlights works from SDMA’s permanent collection, including pieces by renowned photographers such as Margaret Bourke-White, Dorothea Lange, and Carrie Mae Weems.
Ruud van Empel: Theatre
February 8–July 27, 2025 at SDMA
Visitors are invited to experience dreamlike landscapes constructed through a meticulous digital collage process. By combining thousands of fragments of his own photographs taken in diverse locations, including Joshua Tree National Park, Dutch photographer van Empel creates hyperreal, almost hallucinatory, images that blur the lines between reality and artifice, prompting reflection on the nature of truth in photography.
For the People: Modern Printmaking in Mexico
February 15–August 10, 2025 at SDMA
Printmaking has played a vital role in Mexican art and political engagement, particularly during the 20th century. Highlighting the Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP), a collective of artists who used their work to promote social justice and combat fascism, the exhibition showcases prints that served as powerful tools for political expression and cultural identity in Mexico.
Shadows of Contemplation
February 22-–ongoing at SDMA
In response to the trauma of the Civil War and rapid industrialization, Tonalist artists like George Inness created atmospheric paintings with muted colors and shadowy compositions, often depicting solitary figures or rural scenes at dawn or dusk. These works, with their emphasis on mood and introspection, were often compared to musical experiences.
american minimal
March 8–June 1, 2025 at SDMA
Celebrating the Minimalist art movement in the United States, this exhibition showcases aesthetics of simplicity of surface, line, and color through repetition, order, and harmony. The exhibition further demonstrates the continued impact Minimalism has had on succeeding generations of artists working with industrial fabrication, sound, light, weight, and balance, as well as new materials and technologies.
Dutch Painting: Special Loans from the MFA Boston
March 22, 2025–March 21, 2027 at SDMA
This installation presents a selection of 17th-century Dutch paintings on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, alongside works from the SDMA collection, offering a glimpse into the society and artistic traditions of the time. These meticulously detailed works depict scenes of everyday life, landscapes, and portraits, reflecting the values and prosperity of the Dutch Republic during a flourishing period of economic expansion and global trade.
Young Art 2025: Nurture and Nature
April 5–May 18, 2025 at MOPA@SDMA
SDMA’s Young Art exhibition, now in its 48th iteration, has merged with MOPA@SDMA’s Youth Exhibition; this collaboration provides a platform for over one hundred K–12 artists from the San Diego/Tijuana region to showcase their work. This year’s theme, Nurture and Nature, invites reflection on personal experiences and the natural world.
Impressionism Across the Atlantic
May 31, 2025–March 15, 2026 at SDMA
An installation opening this spring puts a spotlight on over 40 Impressionist works from Europe and the United States, drawing from the Museum’s rich holdings as well as significant loans. The works in this exhibition tell the story of the enduring rise of Impressionism from Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, and Camille Pissarro in France, to Americans such as William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, and Guy Rose.
Looking ahead to Summer 2025, SDMA is thrilled to announce the upcoming exhibition Eduardo Chillida: Convergence (August 2, 2025–February 8, 2026). This landmark presentation will celebrate the monumental sculptures and innovative works of Basque artist Eduardo Chillida. Known for his exploration of space, material, and human connection, Chillida’s work has captivated audiences worldwide. Stay tuned for more details about this must-see exhibition.
For more information on The San Diego Museum of Art or to purchase tickets or membership, visit SDMArt.org.
About The San Diego Museum of Art
Providing a rich and diverse cultural experience, The San Diego Museum of Art houses some of the world’s finest art. Located in the heart of Balboa Park, the Museum’s internationally renowned collection of more than 32,000 works—dating from 3000 BC to present day—includes Spanish and Italian old masters, the Edwin Binney 3rd Collection of South Asian paintings, East Asian art, art from the Americas, Modern and Contemporary art, and the Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art (MOPA@SDMA). The Museum regularly features major exhibitions of art from around the world, as well as extensive cultural and community engagement programs for all ages. The San Diego Museum of Art hosts experiences that invite visitors to explore art through music, dance, film, food, and so much more. At The San Diego Museum of Art, exhibition text is always in English and Spanish.
The San Diego Museum of Art is located at 1450 El Prado in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA, 92101. The Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art is located at 1649 El Prado in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA, 92101.
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