Top 10 Permanent Collections at San Diego Museums
Art collections are the backbone of a community, the touchstones of who we are and what we value. They mark cultural growth and aesthetic development by preserving important moments of history. For a visitor seeking an authentic connection to San Diego, time spent with a museum’s permanent collection reveals much about the city’s past, present and hopes for the future. What emerges is a picture of a global region, deeply connected to Latin America and Asia, open-minded and embracing innovation.
Mingei International Museum
Mingei International Museum
Mingei is serious about the "international" portion of its name: the museum has acquired more than 26,000 items from 160 countries. One of the most loved pieces is the Nakashima table in the Founders’ Gallery, constructed of two matching slabs of black walnut with rosewood butterfly joints. In keeping with the museum’s focus on the art, design and function of practical objects — the word "mingei" means "arts of the people" — the table is regularly used for meetings. On view through November 2017 is a life-sized ritual horse from India, part of the exhibition, "Trappings — Homage to the Horse and Other Steeds." A few recent acquisitions are a dramatic 17th century wooden Koma Inu (lion dog) and a delicate Bizen Yaki koro (incense burner) in the form of a persimmon.
Where: 1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
Timken Museum of Art
Timken Museum of Art
The Timken stands in serene contrast to Balboa Park’s bustling Plaza de Panama. Inside the elegant mid-century modern building are masterworks ranging from 14th century altarpieces, to 18th century portraits and landscapes, to 19th century still life paintings. The collection contains 75 pieces, with 25 Russian icons and four French tapestries. The oldest painting is Italian, circa 1310, "Madonna and Child and Two Angels, with Twelve Scenes from the Passion," credited to The Magdalene Master and an Unknown Florentine Painter. Signature paintings are Rembrandt van Rijn’s "Saint Bartholomew," circa 1657; Francisco de Zurbarán’s "Saint Francis in Meditation," circa 1635; and significant works from John Singleton Copley, George Inness and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
Where: 1500 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101