San Diego Museum of Art

Exhibitions: the Museum presented a broad range of exhibitions during the year. These were created from the Museum's own collection, as well as borrowed from other museums and lenders. Everything you see could be a lie: photorealistic drawings by ana de alvear, cranach to canaletto: masterpieces from the bemberg foundation, masters of photography: the garner collection, monet to matisse: impressionist masterpieces from the bemberg foundation and terra: fernando casasempere were some of the exhibitions presented during fiscal year 2022.everything you see could be a lie: photorealistic drawings by ana de alvear presented works from a contemporary artist that recall the european still life paintings in the Museum's collection. They focus on the tradition that spans several centuries to display the objects that were valued and desired in a wealthy or merchant class home, from fine foods to imported porcelain. On closer inspection, the works reveal surprising things. Although the images look like a photograph, they are not made with the assistance of a digital or mechanical process. They are done by hand with a colored pencil on paper. Also found within the details are allusions to environmental concerns, such as an artificial bee trying to find a place to pollinate in a bouquet of artificial flowers.cranach to canaletto: masterpieces from the bemberg foundation afforded the Museum visitors the experience of the first-ever us installation of masterworks from french collector georges bemberg. Artists represented in the foundation's collection include the venetian painters tintoretto, titian and canaletto; french artists clouet, nattier and boucher; and flemish and dutch painters brueghel, van goyen and van dyck. In addition, four lucas cranach paintings attest to bemberg's appreciation of this seminal figure of the german renaissance. The bemberg foundation works were at home alongside many of the paintings from the Museum's permanent collection.masters of photography: the garner collection is a broad sampling from a local collector emphasizing iconic images by some of the most famous photographers of the 20th century to the present. The exhibition was grouped thematically to explore a variety of approaches to the photographic medium and included works from ansel adams, berenice abbott, margaret bourke-white, frank eugene and gregory crewdson. Through this survey of photographic masters, visitors would be able to study influential images from across the century while discovering the artists and techniques behind them.monet to matisse: impressionist masterpieces from the bemberg foundation allowed the Museum to present additional, extraordinary works from the collection of georges bemberg. As a collector, bemberg gravitated toward the avant-garde artistic movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: impressionism and its subsequent post-impressionist variations. Artists represented in this exhibition included claude monet, paul cezanne, henri matisse, raoul dufy and pierre bonnard. Terra: fernando casasempere is the chilean artist's first exhibition in the united states. He uses the earth as his medium as well as his subject. He explores ideas of landscape, architecture and history with a foreboding sense of environmental collapse. His work is culturally rooted in pre-columbian Art and the architecture of latin america. Casasempere's continual exploration and understanding of his media has achieved unprecedented results, combining clays that historically have not been able to be fired together, creating stable structures that appear to be teetering on the edge of destruction. The Museum presented smaller exhibitions in its permanent collection galleries, such as of sea and sand: California paintings, john mireles: disestablishment, pearls from the ocean of contentment: selections from the edwin binney 3rd collection, wang qingsong: manufactured culture, fortuny: master of light and line, along with rotations in the american Art gallery. In the ongoing effort to advance the Museum's goal of making Art more accessible, the Museum continued to offer free admission to ages 17 and under. The Museum continued to offer its smartphone app to provide additional interactive experiences, including the augmented reality feature, which brings Art to life. The app is free to download and can be used at home as well as on the premises. Since its launch, the app has over 60,000 downloads and includes 9 augmented reality experiences. In fy22, the app was used offsite in 32 states and 33 countries. These diverse exhibitions and their complementary programs resulted in the Museum welcoming approximately 395,000 visitors in fiscal year 2022.

Programs: the Museum offers a broad range of programming throughout the year. These programs include musical performances, films, teen summer studios, summer camps and lectures. In fy22, the Museum continued collaborations with local arts institutions, such as the San Diego opera, the San Diego shakespeare society and the San Diego youth symphony. The programs were offered in-person and through the Museum's social media and youtube channels. The Museum celebrated its 15th season of partnership with Art of elan. The Art of elan concert series aims to bring the excitement of classical music to diverse audiences through innovative programming. The Museum also offered numerous lectures throughout fiscal year 2022.

Collections: the Museum's mission is, in part to care for its collections, which includes more than 20,000 works of Art. The collection is the Museum's greatest asset. Its works of Art are displayed on a rotating basis within the Museum and are frequently lent to other institutions for exhibition elsewhere. The Museum also seeks to acquire Art which will enhance its collection. During fiscal year 2022, the Museum acquired a significant piece of Art by jusepe de ribera, susanna and the elders 1610-1612, oil on canvas. The piece enhances the collection by strengthening the Museum's collection of old master paintings, particularly works from spain. The is the second and largest painting by this artist to join the collection and the only one dealing with a female subject. In addition, conservation began on works of Art to be featured in future exhibitions, both at the Museum and at other institutions.

Other program services: during the fiscal year ended june 30, 2022, the Museum served an audience of approximately 395,000 visitors from local, regional, national and international audiences. The Museum produced two issues of its member's magazine. The Museum was supported by approximately 6,050 members during the year. Although the Museum was fully reopened in fiscal year 2022, virtual programming continued to be provided to engage and inspire our audiences.