San Diego Art Galleries

San Diego is the home of art collections. The city has many popular art galleries and the same genre of museums. They have been recognized throughout the world for their comprehensive permanent collections. San Diego galleries are also famous for the diversity of their temporary exhibits. Balboa Park is a place to start appreciating art seriously.

It is home to a bevy of galleries including the Timken Museum of Art, the Mingei International Museum, and the Museum of Photographic Arts, as well as the acclaimed San Diego Museum of Art.

San Diego Museum of Art

It has about 12,000 pieces of art. Among 12,000 pieces of which only a selection is on display at any given time. This comprehensive museum/art gallery also shows regular temporary exhibitions. The Art Museum stands out especially for its collections of Spanish and indigenous baroque painting.

Nearby attractions include the City Institute of Art and the Old Globe Theatre. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. on Thursdays)

Timken Museum

Located near the Balboa Park Visitor Center, Lily Pond and Botanical Gardens, the Timken Museum of Art is within walking distance of the Japanese Garden of Friendship and the city’s Natural History Museum. Founded in 1965, the Timken contains a plethora of vintage masterpieces from across Europe, along with a selection of tapestries and sculptures.

Notable artists exhibited here include Rembrandt van Rijn and Peter Paul Rubens, among others. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 16:00. On Sundays it will be open from 13:30 to 16:30. Admission offers discounts for students, seniors and children, children under the age of five can enter free of charge.

Mingei International Museum

This fascinating museum was started in 1978 and houses temporary exhibitions of folk art and crafts from around the world. Highlights at the Mingei International Museum contain exhibits of textiles, costumes, jewelry, toys, pottery, painting, and sculpture. In the summer of 1996, the Mingei emigrated to their current residence at House of Charm, located in Plaza de Panamá, inside Balboa Park.

Hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. San Diego hotels warmly welcome visitors who will return to the same hotel each time they return to the city.