Visual Arts

Film stills including an an image of Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Stanley Kubrick on the set of “Eyes Wide Shut” are on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. (Courtesy Manuel Harlan/Warner Bros.)

The genius of Stanley Kubrick

With “Dr. Strangelove,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “A Clockwork Orange,” “The Shining”…

Film stills including an an image of Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Stanley Kubrick on the set of “Eyes Wide Shut” are on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. (Courtesy Manuel Harlan/Warner Bros.)
A 15th century porcelain “cup with chicken design” from the Ming dynasty is among the antiquities from the National Palace Museum on view at the Asian Art Museum. (Courtesy National Palace Museum, Taipei)

‘Treasures’ collects 800 years of Chinese imperial art

“Priceless pork belly” is the catch phrase the Asian Art Museum has…

A 15th century porcelain “cup with chicken design” from the Ming dynasty is among the antiquities from the National Palace Museum on view at the Asian Art Museum. (Courtesy National Palace Museum, Taipei)
Peter Combe makes unique celebrity portraits and abstracts in his San Francisco studio. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Examiner)

Peter Combe creates magical art with paint swatches

Mathematical in conception and mystical in effect, Peter Combe’s artwork consists of…

Peter Combe makes unique celebrity portraits and abstracts in his San Francisco studio. (Jessica Christian/S.F. Examiner)
Donald Judd’s 1964 sculpture “To Susan Buckwalter” (of galvanized iron, aluminum and lacquer) is on view in “Pop, Minimal, and Figurative Art” at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (Courtesy Judd Foundation/Vaga/Doris And Donald Fisher Collection/SFMOMA)

SFMOMA showcases viewer-friendly pop and minimalist art

“Pop, Minimal, and Figurative Art,” an exhibition at the reopened San Francisco…

Donald Judd’s 1964 sculpture “To Susan Buckwalter” (of galvanized iron, aluminum and lacquer) is on view in “Pop, Minimal, and Figurative Art” at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (Courtesy Judd Foundation/Vaga/Doris And Donald Fisher Collection/SFMOMA)
Joan Mitchell’s expressive “Bracket,” a 1989 triptych, is on view in “Approaching American Abstraction,” an exhibition of works from the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (Courtesy Ian Reeves/Estate of Joan Mitchell)

American abstracts in spotlight at SFMOMA

“Approaching American Abstraction,” one of more than a dozen inaugural exhibitions at…

Joan Mitchell’s expressive “Bracket,” a 1989 triptych, is on view in “Approaching American Abstraction,” an exhibition of works from the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (Courtesy Ian Reeves/Estate of Joan Mitchell)
Runners and participants make their way through the finish line during the annual Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco, Calif. Sunday, May 15, 2016. (Natasha Dangond/Special to S.F. Examiner)

Bay to Breakers 2016

Photos from the annual Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco, Calif.…

Runners and participants make their way through the finish line during the annual Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco, Calif. Sunday, May 15, 2016. (Natasha Dangond/Special to S.F. Examiner)
(Ekevara Kitpowsong/Special to S.F. Examiner)

A new SFMOMA for the 21st century

After a three-year closure, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is…

(Ekevara Kitpowsong/Special to S.F. Examiner)
A greatly expanded SFMOMA will open to the public on May 14. (Henrik Kam/Courtesy SFMOMA)

Scoop: A tantalizing sneak preview of grand new SFMOMA

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art gave the media a sneak…

A greatly expanded SFMOMA will open to the public on May 14. (Henrik Kam/Courtesy SFMOMA)
From left, images of Joan Van Ark, Bootsy Collins and Phyllis Diller will be featured in "Celebrity Trash" at Minna Gallery. (Emma Chiang/Special to S.F. Examiner)

Jason Mecier’s ‘Celebrity Trash’ a pop culture bonanza

San Francisco artist Jason Mecier makes portraits of celebrities -- using the…

From left, images of Joan Van Ark, Bootsy Collins and Phyllis Diller will be featured in "Celebrity Trash" at Minna Gallery. (Emma Chiang/Special to S.F. Examiner)
“In Search of Great Men” at City Hall is a exhibition of evocative photos of people on trains taken by McNair Evans. (Courtesy McNair Evans/S.F. Arts Commission)

Train travelers on personal journeys in McNair Evans’ photos

McNair Evans photographs people and landscapes affected by modernization, both realistically and…

“In Search of Great Men” at City Hall is a exhibition of evocative photos of people on trains taken by McNair Evans. (Courtesy McNair Evans/S.F. Arts Commission)
The retrospective at the Contemporary Jewish Museum includes photos from many phases of Bill Graham’s career, including a 1971 shot of him onstage before the final concert at Fillmore East in New York. (John Olson/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

Bill Graham’s vivid back story told in ‘Revolution’ at the CJM

There are the cool, familiar Fillmore posters, photos of Jimi Hendrix and…

The retrospective at the Contemporary Jewish Museum includes photos from many phases of Bill Graham’s career, including a 1971 shot of him onstage before the final concert at Fillmore East in New York. (John Olson/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
A show of Annie Leibovitz’s portraits of famous women -- including executive Sheryl Sandberg -- is at the Presidio for three weeks. (Courtesy Annie Leibovitz, WOMEN: New Portraits, Commissioned by UBS)

Annie Leibovitz tackles huge topic in Presidio photo show

Annie Leibovitz returned to The City this week to open the U.S.…

A show of Annie Leibovitz’s portraits of famous women -- including executive Sheryl Sandberg -- is at the Presidio for three weeks. (Courtesy Annie Leibovitz, WOMEN: New Portraits, Commissioned by UBS)
The Oscar de la Renta retrospective at the de Young includes the silk tulle gown Amy Adams wore on the red carpet at the Academy Awards in 2013. (Courtesy Steve Granitz/Getty Images)

Oscar de la Renta created designs to make women feel lovely

Quite a bit about “Oscar de la Renta,” the first major retrospective…

The Oscar de la Renta retrospective at the de Young includes the silk tulle gown Amy Adams wore on the red carpet at the Academy Awards in 2013. (Courtesy Steve Granitz/Getty Images)
“Woman with Cat”, or “The Demanding Cat” is among the bewitching paintings by Pierre Bonnard on view at the Legion of Honor. (Courtesy Musee D'Orsay)

Felines come to fore in Bonnard masterpieces

Oh, to be a cat in one of Pierre Bonnard’s paintings. Bonnard…

“Woman with Cat”, or “The Demanding Cat” is among the bewitching paintings by Pierre Bonnard on view at the Legion of Honor. (Courtesy Musee D'Orsay)
Bejeweled gun accessories from Sultan Mahmud’s Ottoman Court are among the objects on view at the Asian Art Museum in “Pearls On a String: Artists, Patrons and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts.”

Diverse Islamic art spans centuries in ‘Pearls’

An extraordinary bejeweled antique gun, complete with a case of glittering accessories,…

Bejeweled gun accessories from Sultan Mahmud’s Ottoman Court are among the objects on view at the Asian Art Museum in “Pearls On a String: Artists, Patrons and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts.”
Photographer Roman Vishniac, whose works are on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, was best known for his images of Jewish life in Eastern Europe before World War II. (Courtesy International Center of Photography)

Vishniac photos depict pre-WWII Jews, and more

For decades, Roman Vishniac was recognized mainly for photographs he took of…

Photographer Roman Vishniac, whose works are on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, was best known for his images of Jewish life in Eastern Europe before World War II. (Courtesy International Center of Photography)
Fine examples of design and faith are on view in “Arabic: Language of the Quran” at the San Francisco Public Library.

Islamic art in spotlight in ‘Language of the Quran’

Islamic art -- not often seen in museums and galleries in this…

Fine examples of design and faith are on view in “Arabic: Language of the Quran” at the San Francisco Public Library.
University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive’s dramatic new downtown building opens to the public on Jan. 31. (Courtesy Iwan Baan/ Diller, Scofidio + Renfro]

Berkeley Art Museum, Pacific Film Archive opens spiffy new building

The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is…

University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive’s dramatic new downtown building opens to the public on Jan. 31. (Courtesy Iwan Baan/ Diller, Scofidio + Renfro]
Zeina Barakeh’s 2015 “Homeland Insecurity” is among the works on view in “Bring It Home: (Re)Locating Cultural Legacy Through the Body” at the newly reopened San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery in the Veterans Building. (Courtesy Zeina Barakeh/SFAC Gallery)

Expanded S.F. Arts Commission Gallery showcases diverse local artists

Local artists with different cultural histories and creative methods address the complex…

Zeina Barakeh’s 2015 “Homeland Insecurity” is among the works on view in “Bring It Home: (Re)Locating Cultural Legacy Through the Body” at the newly reopened San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery in the Veterans Building. (Courtesy Zeina Barakeh/SFAC Gallery)
Artist David Ireland’s home at 500 Capp St. (the dining room is pictured) opens to the public this week. (Courtesy Henrik Kam)

Artist David Ireland’s legacy lives on at 500 Capp Street

Work by the late contemporary artist David Ireland -- known for finding…

Artist David Ireland’s home at 500 Capp St. (the dining room is pictured) opens to the public this week. (Courtesy Henrik Kam)