About San Diego Museum of Art

The San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park is the biggest art museum in San Diego with an impressive collection of art spanning centuries and covering every part of the world. While they may not have the most famous paintings of European modern art, like the Impressionists or Surrealists (and let’s be honest, we’re kind of sick of those guys anyway), they have a impressive array of art from parts of the world that we don’t see much of in this country.

The San Diego Museum of Art has a huge collection of South Asian pieces and Buddhist art, as well as Japanese wood block prints from the Ukiyo-e era – some of the coolest art out there. They also host a hefty portion of what you expect in modern art museums – names like Gauguin, El Greco, Dali, Jasper Johns, and more.

Sitting in the middle of Balboa Park, the museum is hard to miss – a looming Spanish-Colonial style building at the edge of Plaza de Panama. It is worth a visit while in the park or as a part of a tour of the many, many Balboa Park museums. After your visit go to Panama 66 for some food or a beer – this is one of our favorite spots in all of San Diego.

Best Parts

• Learning history
• Appreciating art
• Art from around the world

Behind The Counter

The San Diego Museum of Art is a nonprofit organization. The current director is Roxana Velasquez Martinez del Campo who was director of several museums in Mexico City before coming to SDMA.