art aficionado
Take this art walk and gallery-hop and enjoy the artistic highlights of the Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood. Enjoy museum-like art galleries filled with paintings, sculptures, mixed-media arts, street performances, and public art. Don’t forget to get a caricature drawn and snap a few artistic photos of the scenic Bay views.
1. Real Old Paper
777 Beach Street
Vintage Poster Gallery
Real Old Paper is a collection of vintage posters curated by Bay Area native Andrew England. Featuring unique posters from around the world, Real Old Paper is a vast collection of unique artists and genres.
2. Umbrella Alley
757 Beach Street
Interactive Murals
Umbrella Alley is the perfect Instagram friendly backdrop for your San Francisco photos. Featuring numerous murals by local artists including a Fisherman's Wharf Honey Bear by fnnch, Hearts by Kate Tova, San Francisco Homies by Yonmeister and California Blooming by amillionair, just to name a few.
3. Skygate Sculpture
Pier 35
Public Art
Cost: Free
Hop off the F-line outside PIER 39 to start your waterfront day of artistic inspiration. This waterfront sculpture was erected in 1985 as San Francisco’s first piece of public art financed by a corporation. The sculpture towers above the millions of pedestrians who pass by it along the Embarcadero. The work, which has been described as the “shining link between sea and sky,” was created by sculptor Roger Barr.
4. Street Performers
Jefferson Street between Powell and Leavenworth
Performance Artists
Cost: Free
Visitors the world over flock to Fisherman’s Wharf to experience the vibrant and lively atmosphere that the street performers-in-residence create. From musicians to acrobats, spray paint artists to magicians, the Wharf is a constantly rotating variety act. Street performers span the entire length of Jefferson street throughout Fisherman’s Wharf. You will be able to spot them easily by the large crowds that form around to watch the acts.
5. Maritime Museum
The Intersection of Polk and Beach Streets
Museum
Cost: Free
Head across the street and take a step back into the art deco era at the Maritime Museum. The building is a showcase for art created during the 1930s. Artist Hilaire Hiler spent two year in the late 1930s creating 5,000 square feet of interior murals. The walls are covered with Hiler’s vision of the submerged continents of Mu and Atlantis. Brilliantly colored fish, mythical sea creatures, and bizarre, enlarged microorganisms swim and float in the blue-green depths of the sea. Dazzling murals cover the interior walls.. Dazzling murals cover the interior walls, and Hilaire Hiler. Dazzling murals cover the interior walls. Walk through the museum and emerge on the back veranda. Stop a moment to admire the remarkable view of Aquatic Park before you turn around a face the magnificent mosaic work of Sargent Johnson. The green and blue tiles are filled with smiling fish and other fanciful images of the sea.
6. Academy of Art Sculpture Gallery
2801 Leavenworth St
Art Gallery
Cost: Free
Backtrack and visit the old Cannery at Del Monte Square when school is in session as a bonus stop on your art walk. Peruse through the gallery on the first floor and head up to the second floor to see Academy of Art students crafting masterful sculptures.
7. Maritime Mural
Jones Street between Jefferson and Beach Streets
Public Art
Cost: Free
Before you hop back on the F-line street car, make sure to check out the newest addition to the Wharf’s public art collection. On the large wall of Jones Street is a mural created by the students at the Academy of Art to commemorate the maritime industry.