The San Diego Museum of Art

Monet! Dali! Matisse! Very cool art museum located in lovely Balboa Park. Quiet, peaceful, and well-maintained space. Staff members were very kind and welcoming. Spent about an hour and a half walking through the different exhibits. They seemed to be organized by time period/country of origin. Also checked out the gift shop which had some really cool artsy stuff. Military ID gets in for free. If you appreciate the different eras of art and you’re spending the day in Balboa Park, this museum is worth a stop.

The exterior and the entrance are amazing, there are some great art works there but I personally only liked only 30% of them while others may like everything. Some art works or antiques do not seem to be matching with the old age as described. What I like the most is the architectural show, everything is very detailed and well made.

If you’re looking for a fun and educational summer activity, please visit The San Diego Museum of Art with your loved ones. It’s an amazing experience to view all the great exhibits. If you’re a local, it’s a must-do. I recommend making a day of it since it’s located in Balboa Park. My family and I created life time memories learned a ton, and it’s super affordable.

First time visiting the museum and it was wonderful. Favorite exhibits was the architecture exhibit by Foster + Partners and the Modern and Contemporary Art. I’m including photos of my favorite pieces that I saw the day I visited.

San Diego art museum in balboa park. Come every 3rd Tuesday for free admission for residents. I love the rotating exhibits. The recent one I saw was the minimalist one. Never seen it before so it was cool to see. I even saw a surrealist Salvador Dali piece. Definitely take time to visit this place.

Closed today but the outside is like a scene in Europe, Italy or Spain specifically. GORGEOUS! Its picturesque fountain + plentiful outdoor seating is so inviting to rest, breathe + to take moments to appreciate all the art surrounding the area!

A very good, if not small, curation of art works. The staff were all very polite and helpful. Some great pieces with. Good layout. Fantastic historical building. Free for students and military with an ID.

Surprisingly small and not all that well curated for a city of this size. I'm glad I supported the museum with the $20 entrance fee, but don't go in expecting much. The D. Riveras pieces are definitely worth a look if you go. I also went when a good number of pieces were on loan, that added to my disappointment.

It's been a while since I last visited, but not much as has changed. My family and I came here last month (January) on a Thursday afternoon. Considering it was a weekday, there were more people than we expected. They still hold a broad collection of American, Asian, European, Latin American art, as well as Spanish Old Master paintings (from their website). Admission has increased to $20 per adult and $15 per senior 65+ with ID. Youths 17 and under are free now. Active and retired military as well as current students with ID are also free (my college kiddo was free with her school ID). Backpacks and backpack-style child carriers must be worn on the front of the body, carried by hand like a briefcase, or left at coat check. Food, drinks, umbrellas, and oversized items (i.e., backpacks, bags) exceeding 16x16x8 must be left at coat check. Strollers are allowed. The nearest parking lot is the Alcazar lot, but not as big. The Organ Pavilion lot is just further down and bigger, so best to park there if Alcazar is full (we usually park in this Organ Pavilion lot). While we appreciated the traditional paintings, I was fascinated by the architecture gallery going on now through April 27, 2025. The intricacy and beauty of the models alone were mesmerizing, but to think that they became actual buildings and structures was truly amazing.

While I may not love all of the art in this museum (nor do I usually since museums should offer a wide variety), I do love the range they offer in artists and art styles, the community based programs, allowing children to get involved in the art, and special interest presentations. Seeing any art is always a gift, but the museum's architecture itself is beautiful alone! I did enjoy the current installation of Arts of South and Southeast Asia the most. Honestly just in awe with small details of each and every piece and the skill set any artist would have to have to produce this art. I love a great museum gift shop and although this museum has a large selection of options, it felt like most of the art/prints being sold weren't at rotation at the museum currently and/or were just popular pieces from famous artists (which again most museums do sell, just not at such a high quantity). There were very few options of museum merch itself as well. I would not come to Balboa Park alone for this museum as it could be a shorter visit, but I would definitely combine it with others in the park. There is so much to see!

I came here yesterday, on a Tuesday, since they offer free entry to San Diego Diego residents on the third Tuesday of every month. The place has two floors worth of art with multiple rooms on each floor. They have a variety of different styles of art. You can even capture paintings from famous artists like Picasso and Monet. They offer free tours for individuals as well. Meetup also has activities where you can go with a group to explore the museum. It is definitely worth a visit.

The San Diego Museum of Art is an absolute gem! From the moment you step inside, you're surrounded by stunning architecture and an impressive collection of artwork that spans centuries and cultures. The exhibits are thoughtfully curated, offering a mix of classic and contemporary pieces that keep you engaged throughout your visit. The peaceful ambiance makes it easy to fully immerse yourself in the art. Whether you're an avid art lover or just looking for a cultural experience, this museum provides a beautiful and enriching way to spend your day. Truly a must-see!

1/21/25 I receive the Balboa Park emails for their many events and thought I would try an art class first time in years. This is the open community. I was not sure what to expect as it didn't say what the art was going to be for that day as I was told they switch it around. I met up at the San Diego Museum of Art to wait for the teacher to arrive and take us to the classes that were in the basement of The Prado Restaurant. The teacher Renee came to take the group of us into the art class area. It was nice to see how well lit the room was it was very large. There were many large tables to get your art on with clay, pretty collage papers, still life, watercolor, colored pencils with special paper and the printmaking which I chose start with. I really enjoyed both of the teachers especially Renee who is was so creative and interesting to listen to her background and guide me through the special colored pencils and paper. I really enjoyed my experience and look forward to going back. BTW if you have any issues about going down two steep staircases and not a well lit area. There is an elevator at the other end of the building.

Enjoyed the art here so much! Loved seeing a Monet, Picasso, and lots of pro women pieces. I've been working on self protection and found the Nihonto interesting. The architecture room is pretty amazing. I ran out of time and wish I'd taken a photo of every piece with the description to read later on the plane. Life hack I'm discovering at art museums. The location is beautiful with restaurants right around the corner.

Every time I visit San Diego, I walked to the neighborhood Balboa park and it's hard to resist visiting the art museum. I always have a great time enjoying the exhibits and artwork. It's a two story structure with I think at least 20 exhibit rooms. The staff is cordial and knowledgeable.

This was a very nice small museum with various pieces of arts from different parts of the world and from different periods. My favorites were the East Asia exhibit and the impressionist works from Monet and others. Adults were $20 and student free. Definitely worth it.

I am a huge art fan and have been lucky to visit many great art museums around the world. By comparison, this museum is small and not as impressive. But I was happy to see some of my favorite artists represented here like Matisse, Picasso, Dali, Degas, and Modigliani. There are also some beautiful pieces featuring gorgeous nearby landscapes. And the current special Korean art exhibit was interesting.

Stumbled upon the SDMA and I'm so glad my husband and I decided to walk in. We were in SD for a weekend getaway and wanted to explore Balboa Park. We ended up deciding to pop in to SDMA and I wasn't expecting much to be honest. Wow was I pleasantly surprised! Tickets are $20 for adults and offers discounted tickets for students, military, and seniors. The ticket also allows guests to leave and re-enter the museum same day. The museum itself is smaller than others I've visited in major cities, it has two floors and 20 galleries, but the collections are beautifully curated and they have a variety of styles and pieces. My favorites were the realism and Impressionism galleries, but there's currently other galleries focused on German Expressionism, Arts of Iran, and Art of East Asia. Wonderfully diverse! Something for everybody. I would definitely some back.

Enjoyed the exhibits in this small at museum. Went to see Korea in Color and loved it. What a great exhibit and made even better with our docent Gina. She was such an amazing docent. One of the best museum tours that I've gone on.

Not too impressed at all! Kind of boring, kept yawning when the lady( Gallery Guide giving the tour was talking, because we couldn't hear anything she was saying at all ! She sure needs a microphone to keep people interested in her cultural , historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing or individual clients at educational establishments. I'm pretty sure only the people next to her could hear what she was saying, not the other 10-15 in the back! I'm pretty sure this Gallery Guide People are volunteers for Museum but it would make a difference if we all can hear what they say, so why not bring a microphone. We also had a hard time finding parking!

I enjoy visiting museums with my family wherever we go. It is amazing to learn about different cultures and feel connected to previous eras and artists. The San Diego museum of Art has many sculptures , artifacts , photographs and famous exhibits. To mention a few: -Carlo Miranda in search of Sonder - impressionist Masterpieces - The Art of Devotion - Modern Women - Art of East Asia - Bruce Davidson Subway -The Iranian Art -Meadow Citadel; The many landscapes of Kaboul -O'keeffe and Moore (additional admission $10 per person) The general admission for adult is $20 per person. I enjoyed exploring all the exhibits. It was such an amazing experience to get closer to the paintings of famous artists such  as Dega, Matisse, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, Amedeo Modigliani to mention a few. At the end of the visit, I felt so relaxed and inspired by all of these amazing artists. I was speechless as the poet said "Silence in the presence of beauty is beauty itself".

Accessibility: unfortunately there is no close parking for this museum or really anything in Balboa Park. Bring your own wheelchair if you need assistance getting around far distances because that's everything here. Inside this museum, however, they do have a ramp to get up to the museum, and an elevator inside to go to the different levels of the museum. The museum has air conditioning in the summer time. Experience: beautiful museum inside and out. They have some art collections that stay forever and some that just come here temporarily for a month or so. The prices are great for getting in, and you can buy tickets at the door or online. The art is beautiful and the employees are helpful.

It was a nice museum. A bit expensive for what they offer but I did like the Diego Rivera and Dali paintings. It was a good experience, I just think that the entrance fee is a bit expensive for the size.

I first visited during Bloom Bash- their annual fundraiser where floral artists come in and do arrangements inspired by pieces throughout the museum. I thought it was the perfect way to experience the museum, even though it made it a much more crowded experience than if I had come during a normal day. Their security was pretty aggressive during one of my visits. I must have had some kind of "rogue influencer energy" where every guard was confident that I was the kind of person who would touch the art. One made me super uncomfortable about it, but whatever, back to the museum. You can easily spend at least half a day browsing the many rooms. I enjoyed it more than the Museum of Contemporary art in La Jolla and I really love including a visit when showing my art-loving visiting friends and family around Balboa. I look forward to my next visit!

It's vast, clean and beautiful space adorned with historic art mixed with a few modern day pieces. Several of these seem to glorify a true dislike for a basic human spirit. These items are dark and disturbing. I reject photographing this illness. Art? By which creature? It's sad this museum would proudly place the work on the walls. Docents or security glares each guest in silence. The restrooms have had a remarkable upgrade. I'm not sure I would want to bring small impressionable children here. Art is designed to invoke an emotion. We left with a strong dislike.

Located in Balboa Park this modest museum features a collection of classic to contemporary galleries. They have a little bit of each major genre represented here. SDMA also features the occasional traveling exhibition too. SDMA will only take an hour or so to tour, but the good news is that it is set in a museum complex at Balboa Park so you can also take in another museum or two on the same visit. Balboa Park is spectacular. The architecture is amazing. There is a lot to do. And you can promenade in the glorious San Diego weather. This city was wise to have preserved this park, its a real treat and should be on everyone's itinerary. Start with SDMA and explore. Highly recommend.

I was intrigued this museum has an event called Art Alive which entails colorful floral arrangements interpreting works of art from the Museum's collection so I wanted to go. One complimentary ticket is included if you are an SDMA member and my additional ticket cost $40 as a non-member. It was pretty busy in the museum since everyone was coming to see the floral arrangements. I enjoyed browsing the artwork and enjoyed the Garden of Activities which had a few free art projects you could do at your leisure.

Entrance fee is $25. It's 2 stories, but pretty small. You can finish the museum in about maybe ~2 hours or less. I downloaded their app so I can get more information on the pieces, but they make the app so hard to follow. The map was not helpful at all. Some of the art pieces were interesting to look at, while others were okay to me. Tip(s): - Entrance fee is $25 - Accept Apple Pay

Since I love art my friend and I decided to go to this museum since we were in the area. I was excited to see a Georgia O'Keeffe painting in person for the first time. I admit, I think there were a couple spots that could have been touched up a little LOL. I know she painted a lot of art and I guess that's what happens when you just have to paint so much. The place is very large and has two levels. They have a lot of great very high-quality artwork. They also have very clean restrooms which is obviously awesome. I had a mini backpack that I had under my arm as if it was a purse and both straps held over my shoulder but for some reason multiple staff members kept telling me that this was unacceptable. They said I either had to carry the bag in my fist or to put it over the front of me. Unfortunately I was super chunky at the time so it was really uncomfortable to have it in front of me as if I was like pregnant like uber prego lol. I couldn't even carry it over my shoulder with the mini backpack on the front side either as if I was holding a baby. This was unacceptable for them. So I had to shift it around a lot and I eventually just made the straps so big that I was able to slide it around my waist and wear it as if it was some huge funky fanny pack LOL oh well. I admit I felt a bit harassed with that but all the young kids who work there seem to really be sticklers for that rule. The last girl that bothered me had come over to my friend and me and I totally thought she was going to call out my friend for drinking water but instead she just was making a beeline for me and my inappropriate holding of my mini backpack. It made me wonder what crazy person must have gone in there with a backpack and tried to smash up some art or something. I went on their website and on the homepage there was some information about visiting when you have autism and certain tips for autistic people. There was literally like a whole page of tips for these people. I thought that was odd because there are so many different people with so many different disabilities, why are they singling out those people. As my friend and I were leaving we noticed a young woman kneeling down to try to figure out her little mini backpack as well. If we had brought in a huge oversize bag and slung it over our shoulder, or even one on each shoulder, that would have been fine tho lol, it's really comical. I hope at least some of the young kids that have to enforce this lame rule recognized how lame it is. As an art teacher and an artist myself I have been to countless museums all over the place. This is the first and only museum I have ever left feeling annoyed. I don't think I'll go back but the art was nice. So in case you didn't realize this by now definitely do not go into the museum if you have a mini backpack or any other bag with two straps on it. Well, unless you want to walk around the whole time looking like you're pregnant with a backwards backpack on lol, because there were those people doing that too. I should've taken more pictures while I was there lol...

If you haven't been to this museum, I highly recommend it. Balboa Park is one of my favorite places to go in San Diego. There are so many wonderful, museums, and things to do.

San Diego's Balboa park has attractions for adults too. The Museum of Art is a great way to spend a couple hours. The museum is just big enough for a morning or afternoon visit--or longer if you like to linger. A lot of the other museums are closed on Mondays. The Museum of art is closed on Tuesdays. So if you're looking to pair this with a visit to another attraction, check the schedule.

Nothing spectacular or differentiating about this [insert city here] Museum of Art. I did catch some of the other reviews commenting on the security there. Yeah it's always annoying to have those people just stand there and watch you. I get it's for the security but it ruins the experience.

A good display of diverse art, but a rather forgettable museum on the whole. The space is small enough to appreciate everything in an hour or less, which is nice if you want something simple to do out of the heat with friends or kids. However, this small space means a small collection on display. What there is errs heavily towards late Renaissance Western paintings upstairs, and various East Asian pieces downstairs. They do have a few rotating exhibits, even in the non-special-exhibit spaces, which helps keep things fresh, but honestly, if you're figuring out what to skip on your day trip to Balboa, I'd drop this.

Definitely a place for ART lovers or not, I'm not into Art but enjoyed the musuem a lot.

What a lovely museum, popped in for the Opening of the Balboa park Christmas Festival. The art in here is very lovely and the staff is very nice. Really enjoyed all the paintings and other various pieces of art. I think my favorite is the architecture in the building and the nice open feel.

If you're in Balboa Park and you love art, the San Diego Museum of Art is a must try! There's lots of art from many different time periods including Persian art, Impressionism, and even modern work. There's work by Georgia O'Keefe and Monet etc. The Art Alive event is just gorgeous! It's hard to find parking on weekends and the area in general can get crowded which is why I don't go often.

Fantastic views of the ocean from this museum. Loved the contemporary art. Plenty of street parking

This was an average museum. Not huge and one can easily see the entire museum in under an hour.'

Nice collection of art and fun to walk around. Luckily it was free for students which was awesome. There are definitely better things to do but if you're walking around in balboa and want to go into some museums this is definitely one to check out!

This is our first time back to the San Diego Museum of Art since pre-COVID. Overall, we enjoy this Museum and its location in Balboa Park. Today, we came for a docent-led tour of the special exhibition "Monet to Matisse: Impressionist Masterpieces from the Bemberg Foundation." There are over 60 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works on display. Our docent discussed a dozen or so of the works. She was well organized, interesting, and informative.

Just wanted to mention that Elvis showed up the day I was here. What a pleasant surprise!

I went there today to purchase an art book on perian art and they had only one in display. I asked the Sales Person which was a young African women behind the cash register if she can give me a discount since it the book was not shrink wrapped and handled by Public and she refused and her colleague also refused. I ended up spending $60.00 plus the 8.75 sales tax. I asked for a book mark and she said no the museum does not give free book mark and you can buy one if you wish. I mean really how greedy can a cultural institution get. It seems to me that the Sales person there lack customer service and they don't care about the customer experience like they do in the East Coast. This museum lacks professionalism. Train staff to be more sensitive to the customer needs and i mean i spend over $60.00 and i can't get a bookmark with my purchase.

This museum is one of my favorite ones that's located in Balboa Park. The building in itself is a work of art, with its architecture in Spanish style. The San Diego Art Museum always has some great exhibits on show and their permanent collection is outstanding. So plan to spend at least a few hours inside this one of a kind Art Museum to enjoy what it has to offer. A bit of everything, from Renaissance to Baroque to contemporary art. Highlights: works by Monet, Rivera, Zurbaran, Miro, Matisee, Dali, O'Keefe, El Greco, Goya. There's also art from Latin America, Asia, beside a grea European collection and a solid American one. It can get crowded, especially during summer and around winter holidays, so be patient. The guards are too strict, this might be the only museum where I got chided even if I always pay attention not to be too close to a painting. $15 admission, $8 for students, $10 for seniors, free for kids. They have a good deal Friday nights $5 from 5 pm to 8 pm. They do have free days sometimes so check their site for updates and deals. Closed on Wed. M- S from 10 am - 5 pm, Friday 10 am -8 pm and Sundays Noon - 5 pm. If you visit San Diego an love art, you can't miss it. If I'd live in San Diego I'd check out all of their exhibits. But I know I'll stop by next time I'll visit the area.

The museums location in Balboa Park is inviting and enjoyable it's a two-story museum with two main exhibition halls and several specialty galleries. There was a specialty impressionist show During my visit which was enjoyable but it seem like I had seen it before it other museums there is also a exhibit about art in the context of global warming which was more like an installation and I thought it was innovative. Overall spent about two hours there And I would recommend the place

This museum is decent for a museum of art. San Diego has a strip of museums in Balboa Park that I had not visited before. This museum had like 2 levels and not very much modern art. It has classical art from Europe. It's a European art museum. They have a current exhibit that you pay $3 extra for. I got a student ticket. It's a good art museum, but I think maybe you don't think of San Diego as a major city for museums. Review #1800 went to this museum in San Diego.

The museum has a good collection of art, but I deducted stars because the customer service was a bit shady. We walked in around 430pm since we were walking around the area. I asked the front desk employee how long it will take to view the entire collection in the museum. She told me 1 to 1.5 hours. She never told us the closing hours (we didn't know it would close at 5pm). So at 5pm, we got kicked out of the museum, and of course we didn't finish viewing everything (didn't even go up to the 2nd floor yet). I deducted stars because the front desk employee never told us that they were closing soon. I felt like they just wanted us for the money, and the tickets were not cheap at $20 per adult. If they told us the closing hours, we wouldn't have gone in and would have came when we had more time.

Those who follow my reviews know that I go to a lot of museums. I was at Balboa Park, and I love art and so, it stands to reason that I would gravitate to this amazing museum. As we paid our admittance fee we were told that we were just in time to see that last Indian dance of the year. What this meant was that actual Indian dancers, decked out in all their colorful saris, jewelry, make up and the whole shaban. They did a series of dances and were so good! These girls have been dancing since they were children and it was amazing to watch. After they did a Q&A and we learned so much. Also, this museum has one of the most extensive collections of Indian art. I really loved every exhibit. My favorite was the Indian art, and my least favorite was the print collection. The whole place can be seen is 2-3 hours. Great stuff here.

The Museum of Art is one of many museum options you will find within massive Balboa Park. If you have a full day for museum hopping, you can buy a single pass. For folks with limited time, you sort of need to pick and choose. Since I like modern art and looking at paintings that tell stories, the Museum of Art sounded like a good place to try. Its pretty small with two stories, and you can see most of it in a few hours. Most of the paintings I liked were on the second floor, including some cool ones showing life in Venice from Caneletto and Belloto - makes me want to visit. I also liked de Ribera's "Susanna and the Elders," which is story of a woman's triumph of virtue over deceit and lust by two pervs! The ground floor had some cool Asian art from China and Japan, and a special exhibit with paintings from ancient stories of Indian and Persian origin. Many of these were really tiny and they offered magnifying lens. I liked how one artist took a modern approach with a cool cartoon depicting the Ramayana from a female perspective. Overall, a nice little museum that can be included in your Balboa Park itinerary. Its no where big as the art museums in say NYC or Chicago, but it still has some nice pieces.

Perfect place to spend a couple of hours. Beautiful building, courteous staff and overall a pleasant experience.

Loved coming here ! I'm a museum head so the first plus is seeing art in another place! I didn't like that we had to pay lol to be honest la museums don't really Charge. I loved far Asia exhibitions beautiful kimonos etc. a cheat code here would definitely be to have a student I'd to shave a few bucks off the $15 entry fee. The surrounding park is great for a picnic with friends etc or for the dog to run around ! I would Come back I did miss a few items but it was a beautiful smaller museum.

The San Diego Museum of Art is in Balboa Park, a beacon of culture in San Diego with its 17 museums and world-famous San Diego Zoo. I have been taking art history courses for fun and it helped me appreciate the artwork at a different level. It pays off taking classes for fun since there are student discounts. I should consider getting the Balboa Park Explorer Pass to visit all the museums, and I am glad I got to visit the art museum.

A sizable representation of The Pérez Simón Collection has been taking up residence at the museum but it closes next month. If I lived in San Diego, I probably would have visited the museum a few more times just to again see works by some of my favorite Mexican artists: Ricardo Martinez, Rufino Tamayo, Alfredo Ramos Martinez, and Jorge Gonzalez Camarena. This is a great exhibition. Along with 'Art of the 20th Century' -- another exhibition that has brought out a number of this museum's collection that I haven't seen previously -- it's a good time to visit.

Wife and I love museum dates! First time here and we both loved it. Lots to look at, decently priced and the location was superb with other architecture and stuff to look at in Balboa Park. Definitely recommend coming if you are visiting and love museums like us!

We loved exploring the San Diego Museum of Art! I appreciated that they have a mix of older and modern art, eastern and western art, with most major genres and styles represented. Most of the collection is paintings, but there are also some interesting sculptures, ceramics etc. We spent an hour here, but could have easily spent 2-3 hours really taking in the pieces and reading the background information. It seems as though they have a small rotating gallery with a new featured artist every month or so. When we visited, the museums were running a sale so we only paid $10 a ticket (half price) which I thought was well worth it. The architecture of the actual museum is very nice and given that it's located inside of Balboa Park, it's so nice to walk around and peruse the nearby buildings, water fountains, and coffee shops. If you're a fine art lover, you won't be disappointed by the SDMA!

This is not the Louvre or the Met, but it is an amazing local art museum. They have an excellent collection of art spanning the globe. I was happy to see Asian art so well represented. We happened to catch the Latin American exhibition and the Monet homage. They were both really lovely. I liked the expanse of the Latin American pieces. There was a nice range and the modernists didn't overshadow any of the traditional works. I was disappointed that there were not any spaniels in any of the paintings (see my review of the gallery next door), but there was that weird monkey, a great Japanese dog, a creepy Flemish kid, and two 40-year-old babies plotting an uprising. Not bad. We spent a few hours and saw all of the galleries. It was a great afternoon.

I've been to so many museums over the past few years, and I can honestly say there's nothing that stood out about this museum to me. I've seen the art pieces at other museums.

Ay! You simpleton!!! Get yourself some culture! Come here and learn some art, history and insight into various cultures. Sure some of the works look like some five year old threw a piece together, but there are many works of art that will speak to you no matter where you hail from. There are some pieces that had me thinking "how the f^ck they do that?" And "what the f^ck was he/she thinking?" Or "this guy must've been high". Alot of portraits look very life like, almost photographic. That's amazing talent. To be honest, all the works are products of very talented hands. Come here with an open mind and be transformed into a more cultured citizen from an uncultured swine. Well, maybe not that far. If you want an insight into culture, history and art this is one the of the places to go.