10 must-see artworks at SFMOMA
Quick answer
SFMOMA's must-see works include Matisse's Femme au chapeau, Kahlo's Frida and Diego Rivera, Pollock's Guardians of the Secret, Rothko's colour fields, and works by Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, Gerhard Richter and Duchamp's Fountain. Galleries rotate, so check the day's floor plan.
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The key works, by area
The museum often changes where works hang and an installation affecting the Atrium and Floors 3, 4 and 5 is under way. The areas below are indicative; confirm on the free floor plan.
- 1
Early 20th-century painting
Femme au chapeau — Henri Matisse (1905)
Arbitrary colours that scandalised the Salon d'Automne. One of the works that gave Fauvism its name.
- 2
Early 20th-century painting
Frida and Diego Rivera — Frida Kahlo (1931)
A wedding portrait painted in San Francisco; key to understanding the couple's relationship and iconography.
- 3
Abstract Expressionism
Guardians of the Secret — Jackson Pollock (1943)
A decisive step toward full abstraction: totemic figures that anticipate his drip paintings.
- 4
Abstract Expressionism
Colour fields — Mark Rothko
Suspended fields of colour seeking a direct, almost religious emotional response.
- 5
Fisher Collection
Colour-field paintings — Ellsworth Kelly
Simple shapes and pure colour: Kelly strips painting to the essential with almost architectural precision.
- 6
Fisher Collection
Abstractions — Gerhard Richter
The German painter alternates photorealism and abstraction. Compare his blurred images with his abstract canvases.
- 7
Fisher Collection
Grids — Agnes Martin
Fine lines and pale colours: meditative abstraction that asks you to look slowly.
- 8
Pop art
Silkscreens — Andy Warhol
Repetition and celebrity as method. A good gateway to American pop.
- 9
Conceptual art
Fountain — Marcel Duchamp (1964 replica)
The urinal that redefined what a work of art is. An authorised replica of the 1917 original.
- 10
Sculpture
Mobiles — Alexander Calder
Sculpture in motion: air and light change the work every second.
How to see them in one visit
Follow chronological order: begin with early 20th-century painting, move to Abstract Expressionism, then pop, and end in the Fisher Collection. Our 2-hour route follows this order. If a gallery is closed, the day's floor plan shows where each work has moved.
Frequently asked questions
What famous artworks are at SFMOMA?
Matisse, Frida Kahlo, Pollock, Rothko, Warhol, Duchamp and a large selection of contemporary art from the Fisher Collection.
Does SFMOMA have Frida Kahlo?
Yes: Frida and Diego Rivera (1931), a double portrait painted in San Francisco.
Where is the Fisher Collection?
In the galleries for post-1960 art. Locations rotate, so check the day's floor plan.
Is there free art at SFMOMA?
Yes, about 45,000 sq ft of public space can be seen without a ticket, including murals by local artists.