Art Galleries In San Francisco, California

Art Galleries In San Francisco
Saptami
Saptami 
Updated
| 4 min read

The word San Francisco is similar to many things, the city of newest technologies merging with Victorian architecture. Located just beside the bay area, the iconic Golden Gate bridge is the face of the city. The dreamy view of fog on the top of this bridge is one of the best sights this city can offer. The enchanting beauty of nature is not so far, Russian and Nob Hills are connected through the cable cars with the city. The city promotes ethnic and cultural diversity, rich in arts, music, museums, architecture, cuisines, not to mention its gorgeous festivals. San Francisco is rich in art, probably the best in entire California, especially the Bay Area, which is the artistic hub of the city. Check out some of the best art galleries in San Francisco which can give you the best glimpses of the rich art scene of the city.

1. CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art

Posted by Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts on Tuesday, 25 April 2017

The art gallery Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts is a part of the famous California College of the Arts (CCA). It was established in the year 1998, initially as a forum for promoting contemporary art. Today, it is a leading art institution in the United States. It is also one of the main art centers of the Bay Area art scene. It promotes the work of emerging artists, the newest work of well-known artists along with many events related to art.

The Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art

Address: 360 Kansas St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA

Website: The Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art

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2. Catharine Clark Gallery

Stephanie Syjuco at Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco
Source: Photo by Flickr user Roͬͬ͠͠͡͠͠͠͠͠͠͠͠sͬ... used under CC BY 2.0

The Catharine Clark Gallery showcases the work of contemporary living artists. Established in the year 1991, it promotes arts through various kinds of media. It is one of the first galleries which dedicates an entire room to the video projects. Presently, the gallery is located in the Potrero Hill district of the city. It was shifted from its previous location in the year 2013, with an exhibition named ‘This is the Sound of Someone Losing the Plot’. Normally, each exhibition in the gallery occurs within a six-week time span.

Catharine Clark Gallery

Address: 248 Utah St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA

Website: Catharine Clark Gallery

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3. ArtHaus

Posted by ArtHaus on Sunday, 21 October 2018

The foremost art gallery of San Francisco showcases the contemporary artwork of the Bay area artists. It was founded in the year 1996 by two gallerists, James Bacchi and Annette Schutz, at the historic Nob Hill. Later, it was shifted to Brannan Street. For its outstanding services to art lovers, it has won the award of Best Art Gallery – Bay Area “A” list. In the year 2016, Culture trip also nominated it as one of the 10 Best Galleries in San Francisco.

ArtHaus

Address: 228 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA

Website: ArtHaus

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4. Andrea Schwartz Gallery

Posted by Andrea Schwartz Gallery on Friday, 5 January 2018

The charming Andrea Schwartz Gallery was founded in the year 1982. This gallery is owned by Andrea Schwartz and Steve Dolan. It normally showcases the contemporary artwork of mid-career artists, especially based on the Bay area. The gallery is located in South of Market district. It was relocated to the present location in the year 2012 and it represents artists like John Belingheri, Philip Buller, Suhas Bhujbal, Cara Barer, Tom Bolles, etc, promoting their work and supporting their career.

Andrea Schwartz Gallery

Address: 545 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA

Website: Andrea Schwartz Gallery

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5. 111 Minna Gallery

inspiration.
Source: Photo by Flickr user Amber Rae used under CC BY 2.0

The gallery is based on a site of a former industrial warehouse. It is different from other traditional art galleries, as it is attached to two big bars. There is a grand stage for performances, with excellent audio-visual facilities. So, technically, people get art, music, events, drinks, under one space. You can enjoy an excellent glass of wine while attending a rotating contemporary art exhibition of local or international artists, alongside excellent music.

111 Minna Gallery

Address: 111 Minna St, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA

Website: 111 Minna Gallery

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6. Fraenkel Gallery

"How I Learned to See: An (Ongoing) Education in Pictures" curated by Hanya Yanagihara. On view 30 June - 20 August, 2016.

Posted by Fraenkel Gallery on Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Fraenkel Gallery was established in the year 1979. Since then, it has been showcasing over 300 exhibitions of various kinds of arts like painting, sculpture etc. Through these exhibitions, the history of this gallery is created. The gallery publishes the photo books of the artists, which is also sold to the public. The monographs and exhibition catalogs are also released to promote the art and artists. At first, this gallery was located in the Grant Avenue. In these days, it is based on Geary Boulevard, shifted in the year 2016.

Fraenkel Gallery

Address: 49 Geary St Suite 450, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA

Website: Fraenkel Gallery

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7. Gallery 444


Gallery 444 hosts a collection of original works of some contemporary artists, like surrealist Rafal Olbinski. It is a family owned and operated gallery founded by Bettie Mitchell. He has belonged to this world of art for around 40 years and created his first gallery in 1980. The gallery was shifted to Post Street in the year 1993, located there till date. It is connected with almost 20 local and international artists, like the famous artists Boulanger and Olbinski.

Gallery 444

Address: 444 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA

Website: Gallery 444

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8. The McLoughlin Gallery


The McLoughlin Gallery presents and promotes contemporary works of mid-career to emerging artists, based on San Francisco and outside. It was established in the year 2010 by long-time art enthusiast and collector Joan McLoughlin in the Geary Street. The artists of this gallery are engaged in creating art through non-traditional materials like plastics, resins, glitter, wood panel, xeroxes, acrylic, and other found objects. Being a cancer patient herself, the owner is committed to dedicating a part of the sales profit of this gallery to the Glide Memorial Church and the breast cancer research of Stanford University Medical Center.

The McLoughlin Gallery

Address: 49 Geary St #200, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA

Website: The McLoughlin Gallery

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9. Shooting Gallery

Posted by White Walls and Shooting Gallery on Tuesday, 16 June 2015

The Shooting Gallery was established in the year 2003, by curator Justin Giarla. It is located in the edgy Tenderloin district of San Francisco. It is well known for its unusual kinds of art selection, like pop-arts, comic book art, surf or skate art, punk rock album art, erotic photography etc. It even provides the lowbrow artists with a steady platform.

Shooting Gallery

Address: 886 Geary St, 94109 San Francisco

Website: Shooting Gallery

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10. Studio Gallery

We were lucky to have a visit from a park ranger today, who told us all about this piece from the HUGE portion of the...

Posted by STUDIO Gallery on Sunday, 9 December 2018

Studio gallery was established in the year 2003, mainly to promote the works of the Bay area artists. The artworks of various media are showcased, the majority being the paintings. It brings new exhibitions every month. The artwork in various themes is showcased here, like Bay Area cityscapes and landscapes, food and drinks etc.

Studio Gallery

Address: 1641 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA

Website: Studio Gallery

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The city that nurtures art

San Francisco Skyline at night
Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Cgbriggs19 used under CC BY-SA 4.0

San Francisco can be named as a city which nurtures art passionately. The extensive support from the government, corporates, and private patrons have helped to make it richer day by day. The city is also famous for the open-air art, like colorful murals and ceramics. So, explore the city as well as the galleries to enjoy the famous art scene of San Francisco.

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Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Saptami's primary life mission revolves around the exploration of the uncharted. Following the completion of her MBA, she steered clear of the conventional 9-to-5 career path, prioritizing the...Read more

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