San Francisco - Alison Bing [50]
The largest collection of Asian art outside Asia covers 6000 years and thousands of miles of terrain. A trip through the galleries is a treasure-hunting expedition, from racy Rajasthan palace miniatures to the largest collection of Japanese sculptural baskets outside Japan to the jewel-box gallery of Chinese lustrous jade – just don’t bump into those priceless Ming vases.
To give some idea of Asia’s virtuosity, the museum has amassed 17,000 prime examples of the region’s ingenuity and artistry. Consider the diplomatic backbends curators had to do to put such a diverse collection into proper perspective. Where the UN falters, the Asian succeeds in bringing Taiwan, China and Tibet together, uniting Pakistan and India, and striking a harmonious balance among Japan, Korea and China. Granted, the Chinese collection takes up two wings and South Asia only one, but that healthy cultural competition has served to encourage donations of South Asian artifacts lately – mighty clever, those curators. Given the city’s 150-year history as North America’s gateway to Asia, the collection is also quintessentially San Franciscan, drawing on longstanding local ties and distinguished local collections.
The building itself is another feat of diplomacy. Italian architect Gae Aulenti’s clever repurposing of the old San Francisco Main Library building left intact the much-beloved granite bas-relief on the building’s face, the entryway’s travertine arches and the polished stone staircase inside. She also created two new indoor plazas on either side for oversize sculpture installations and demos by artists.
You begin your tour of the collection by taking a single-file escalator up to the top floor. The curatorial concept is to follow the geographical path of Buddhism through Asia from the top floor down, beginning on the 3rd floor with India, and then – wait, isn’t that Iran, followed by the Sikh kingdoms, then Indonesia? By the time you’ve cruised past 3000-plus Zoroastrian artifacts and splendid Balinese shadow puppets, all theological quibbles will yield to astonishment – and possibly exhaustion. If museums wear you out fast – or you’re short on time – either find art from your favorite Asian country or head directly for the Chinese collections (the jade and bronze are particularly impressive).
As if the constantly rotating collection wasn’t enough, the Asian also emphasizes educational programs that keep pan-generational crowds thronging the place. Hands-on workshops for kids and evening lectures with noted art historians are boons for parents and couples on date night. Check the calendar.
Make a day of it with lunch at Café Asia, where sunny days mean bento (boxed meals) on the balcony terrace. One Thursday every other month, from 5pm to 9pm, the hipsters are in charge with Matcha, an urban-contemporary event series with a changing lineup but always music and cocktails. Think DJs spinning Japanese hip-hop, tattoo artists giving live demos, sake-makers pouring tastings, and crafty types making Chinese paper lanterns to ward off hungry ghosts.
CITY HALL Map
415-554-4000, tour info 415-554-6023, art exhibit line 415-554-6080; www.ci.sf.ca.us/cityhall; 400 Van Ness Ave; admission free; 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, tours 10am, noon & 2pm; 5, 19, 21, 49; & Civic Center;
That mighty beaux-arts dome pretty much covers San Francisco’s grandest ambitions and fundamental flaws. Designed by John Bakewell and Arthur Brown Jr in 1915 to top Paris for flair and outsize the capitol building dome in Washington, DC, the dome was a little unsteady until its retrofit after the 1989 earthquake, when ingenious technology enabled the dome to swing on its base without raising alarm.
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TRANSPORTATION: CIVIC CENTER & THE TENDERLOIN
BART Civic Center is the main BART stop for both areas; Powell St station also serves the Tenderloin.
Bus All Market St Muni lines stop at Civic Center and at various points in the Tenderloin; the northern end of the Tenderloin is also accessed by buses