Top 10 Go-See List for the Bay Area

Looking for some great suggestions for art to see now in the Bay Area? Below is a list of 10 not-to-be-missed current and upcoming Bay Area art exhibitions, shows, and installations.

  1. Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD): “Alison Saar: To Sit A While” (Apr. 5, 2023 - Apr. 30, 2023). A sculptural exhibition devoted to playwright Lorraine Hansbury, whose play “A Raisin in the Sun” was the first play by a Black woman produced on Broadway.

  2. The Legion of Honor: “Sargent and Spain” (Feb. 11 – May 14, 2023). Explores the influence of Spain and its lively culture on American artist John Singer Sargent, featuring drawings, oil paintings, watercolors, and photographs.

  3. Gallery Wendi Norris: “Remedios Varo: Encuentros” (May 11 - July 1, 2023). The second solo gallery exhibition of Spanish artist Remedios Varo, a pioneer of feminist Surrealism. Enigmatic, uncanny, and highly imaginative, the 12 works on display explore Varo’s encounters with the unexpected.

  4. The Asian Art Museum: “Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in Art” (Mar. 31 – July 10, 2023). Over 120 historic and contemporary artworks from India, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas explore the visual language and cultural significance of dance.

  5. Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD): “Black Venus” (Apr. 5 – Aug. 20, 2023). Works by 18 contemporary artists celebrate Black beauty and womanhood, juxtaposed against archival depictions of Black women dating back to 1793.

  6. The de Young Museum: “Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence” (Mar. 18 – Oct. 15, 2023). Beautiful and haunting, Kehinde Wiley’s paintings and sculptures of fallen figures confront systemic racism and violence against Black people.

  7. Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): “The 2022 SECA Art Award Exhibition” (Dec. 17, 2022 - May 29, 2023). Celebrates Bay Area artists Binta Ayofemi, Maria A. Guzmán Capron, Cathy Lu, Marcel Pardo Ariza, and Gregory Rick. Each artist fills a different Floor 2 gallery with new, site-specific work showcasing their distinctive and exciting practices.

  8. ICA: “Resting Our Eyes” (Jan. 21 –Jun. 25, 2023). Features works from 20 multi-generational Black artists across a wide range of media, exploring the themes of leisure, adornment, beauty and self-expression through a Black feminist lens.

  9. The Museum of Craft and Design: “Fight and Flight: Crafting a Bay Area Life” (Apr. 15, 2023 – Sept. 10, 2023) A timely examination of the Bay Area arts ecosystem. The exhibition features 23 local artists.

  10. Contemporary Jewish Museum: “Cara Levine: To Survive I Need You to Survive” (Feb. 16 - Jun. 30, 2023). Levine’s work grapples with some of the most pressing issues of our times.