The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the de Young and the Legion of Honor, are the largest public arts institution in San Francisco and one of the most respected in the United States.

This level of impact and recognition has been achieved in part thanks to the extraordinary array of special exhibitions presented at the de Young and the Legion of Honor. These shows go beyond “blockbuster” to offer Bay Area residents and visitors from around the world rare access to important collections and inspiring works of art. Recent examples include:

• Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis, which included Vermeer’s iconic titular masterwork and drew more than 300,000 visitors to the de Young during its 18-week run;
• David Hockney: A Bigger Exhibition, the largest exhibition ever presented at the de Young, which featured monumental landscapes, multi-camera movies, iPad drawings, and much more; and
• Royal Treasures from the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette, a dazzling and unparalleled collection of decorative arts from the Musée du Louvre, Paris, which included many objects that had never before been shown in the United States, several of which had never left France.

As might be expected, ambitious projects such as these come with considerable costs, and it is only through the committed support of donors at a variety of levels that the Museums’ exhibition program is made possible. Sponsors are recognized in a variety of ways, including on the exhibition’s title wall, and receive numerous other benefits, including complimentary catalogues, VIP tickets, and invitations to special events.

For more information about exhibition support, please contact Karen Huang, Senior Director of Individual & Major Giving, at khuang@famsf.org or 415.750.8940.

L-R: Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, ca. 1665. Oil on canvas. Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, Bequest of Arnoldus des Tombe, 1903 (inv. no. 670); David Hockney, Self Portrait with Charlie, 2005. Oil on canvas, 72 x 36 in. Collection National Portrait Gallery, London, purchased with help from the proceeds of the 150th anniversary gala and Gift Aid visitor ticket donations, 2007, NPG 6819. © 2013 David Hockney. Photo: Richard Schmidt; Bust of Marie-Antoinette. Commissioned by Prince Alexandre Kourakine. 1782. Hard-paste porcelain. Inv.: OA10898. Photo: Peter Harholdt