Art & Museums

COURTESY DEBRA BLOOMFIELD/ROBERT KOCH GALLERYBay Area photographer Debra Bloomfield’s intriguing landscapes are on view in “Wilderness” at the Robert Koch Gallery.

Debra Bloomfield’s ‘Wilderness’ images spiritual, evocative

Viewed in a gallery in a downtown San Francisco filled with techno-stimuli…

COURTESY DEBRA BLOOMFIELD/ROBERT KOCH GALLERYBay Area photographer Debra Bloomfield’s intriguing landscapes are on view in “Wilderness” at the Robert Koch Gallery.
COURTESY J. OTTO SEIBOLD/CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUMIllustrations by Oakland-based children’s book artist J. Otto Seibold are on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

CJM goes behind the scenes with Mr. Lunch

Looking at the fresh, offbeat illustrations by artist J.Otto Seibold, it’s hard…

COURTESY J. OTTO SEIBOLD/CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUMIllustrations by Oakland-based children’s book artist J. Otto Seibold are on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.
COURTESY PHOTOCarefully designed tanks filled with water

Gardens bloom under water at Conservatory of Flowers

A dozen large tanks, some as long as 6 feet, are set…

COURTESY PHOTOCarefully designed tanks filled with water
COURTESY KEITH HARING FOUNDATIONKeith Haring’s 1984 painting “Untitled (Apartheid )” exemplifies the artist’s penchant for politics.

Politics permeate Keith Haring works at de Young

Keith Haring, the 1980s art star who captured the energy of the…

COURTESY KEITH HARING FOUNDATIONKeith Haring’s 1984 painting “Untitled (Apartheid )” exemplifies the artist’s penchant for politics.
MELISSA CHANDON/CALDWELL SNYDER GALLERY]“Tee Pee Motel” is among Melissa Chandon’s vivid “American Vacation” paintings on view at Caldwell Snyder Gallery.

Melissa Chandon paintings evoke America’s past

Artist Melissa Chandon revisits landscapes of leisure from decades past in her…

MELISSA CHANDON/CALDWELL SNYDER GALLERY]“Tee Pee Motel” is among Melissa Chandon’s vivid “American Vacation” paintings on view at Caldwell Snyder Gallery.
COURTESY RICARDO OCRETO ALVARADOBox socials were among the Filipino-American activities Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado photographed for two decades in San Francisco.

Photos bring post-WWII-era Filipino-American community to life

In the 1940s and ’50s, Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado made it his mission…

COURTESY RICARDO OCRETO ALVARADOBox socials were among the Filipino-American activities Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado photographed for two decades in San Francisco.
COURTESY NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SAUDI ARABIA

‘Roads of Arabia’ leads to new discoveries

“Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”…

COURTESY NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SAUDI ARABIA
COURTESY PHOTOJohn Singer Sargent’s portrait of Lady Sybil Sassoon is on view at "Houghton Hall: Portrait of an English Country House” at the Legion of Honor.

Historic Houghton mansion in spotlight at Legion of Honor

He introduces himself as David, but should be addressed properly as 7th…

COURTESY PHOTOJohn Singer Sargent’s portrait of Lady Sybil Sassoon is on view at "Houghton Hall: Portrait of an English Country House” at the Legion of Honor.
COURTESY PAT STEIREvocative abstracts by Pat Steir

Pat Steir paints meditative ‘Waterfalls’

Contemporary artist Pat Steir creates cascades of color. She starts by carefully…

COURTESY PAT STEIREvocative abstracts by Pat Steir
COURTESY ROSANNA LYONSJacob

Artist’s soulful dog paintings among Open Studios offerings

Painter Rosanna Lyons shares portraits of pain, hope and recovery, with a…

COURTESY ROSANNA LYONSJacob
COURTESY JENKINS JOHNSON GALLERY“Transforming Still Life Painting.” a slowly moving image based on the 17th-century Dutch painting “Vase With Flowers in a Window

Slowly animated images offer new view of old masters

Rob and Nick Carter re-create significant paintings from history, enhancing them with…

COURTESY JENKINS JOHNSON GALLERY“Transforming Still Life Painting.” a slowly moving image based on the 17th-century Dutch painting “Vase With Flowers in a Window
Courtesy photoPorn star Peter Berlin is the subject of a photography show at Magnet.

Another side of gay icon Peter Berlin revealed in photos

At 71, Peter Berlin admits that he gets the same high from…

Courtesy photoPorn star Peter Berlin is the subject of a photography show at Magnet.
AP Photo/Eric RisbergAn installation of a huge dragon is among the works filling a building that once was a federal prison in the dramatic exhibition “@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz.”

Freedom rings on Alcatraz

Tibetan singer Lolo is there. Rwandan journalist Agnes Uwimana Nkusi is there.…

AP Photo/Eric RisbergAn installation of a huge dragon is among the works filling a building that once was a federal prison in the dramatic exhibition “@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz.”
COURTESY FOULADI PROJECTSContemporary British artist Damien Hirst is among the subjects of whimsical new works by Laurina Paperina on view at Fouladi Projects.

Laurina Paperina portraits skewer pop culture

A native of Italy and a believer in levity, Laurina Paperina pokes…

COURTESY FOULADI PROJECTSContemporary British artist Damien Hirst is among the subjects of whimsical new works by Laurina Paperina on view at Fouladi Projects.
COURTESY GREGORY LIND GALLERYBarbara Takenaga paints cosmic

Barbara Takenaga abstracts combine science, magic

Abstract artist Barbara Takenaga paints landscapes, or perhaps mindscapes, containing strings of…

COURTESY GREGORY LIND GALLERYBarbara Takenaga paints cosmic
Courtesy photoA 1977 Pontiac Trans AM is at the center of conceptual artist Guy Overfelt’s exhibit at Ever Gold Gallery.

Guy Overfelt takes on car culture in ‘Free Bird’

Metal, motors, machismo, and rubber soul figure into the work of Guy…

Courtesy photoA 1977 Pontiac Trans AM is at the center of conceptual artist Guy Overfelt’s exhibit at Ever Gold Gallery.
COURTESY PHOTOSan Francisco’s beleaguered stadium is the subject of “Lights Out at the ’Stick” on view at the Main Library.

Library artifacts invite Candlestick memories

Candlestick Park, where the Giants, the 49ers, The Beatles and the San…

COURTESY PHOTOSan Francisco’s beleaguered stadium is the subject of “Lights Out at the ’Stick” on view at the Main Library.
COURTESY DARRYL J. ERONNImages taken by participants in the Sixth Street Photography Workshop are on view at 6th On 7th Gallery.

Gallery photos show life at Seventh and Mission

Photographer Tom Ferentz is committed to documenting one of San Francisco’s grittiest…

COURTESY DARRYL J. ERONNImages taken by participants in the Sixth Street Photography Workshop are on view at 6th On 7th Gallery.
courtesy cantor arts centerRobert Frank in America opens Sept. 10 at the Cantor Arts Center.

Fall arts 2014: Museums and galleries

Photography, history, modern masterworks, local heroes and ancient objects are among the…

courtesy cantor arts centerRobert Frank in America opens Sept. 10 at the Cantor Arts Center.
COURTESY PAUL SOUDERThe grand-prize winning image in “BigPicture” at the California Academy of Sciences is Paul Souders’ “The Luckiest Penguin.”

Nature photography show a first at Cal Academy

“BigPicture,” the first major photo exhibition in the California Academy of Sciences’…

COURTESY PAUL SOUDERThe grand-prize winning image in “BigPicture” at the California Academy of Sciences is Paul Souders’ “The Luckiest Penguin.”