Pier 24 Photography

The Embarcadero/Harrison St., at the Bay Bridge, South Beach, (415) 512-7424. By appt. M-F 9am-5:15pm. Free. Reservations required.

interior gallery at Pier 24 Photography
in San Francisco, California

Situated in a spectacular location on an old-but-revamped pier directly beneath the Bay Bridge, this vast photography museum is one of the world’s largest dedicated to 20th century and postwar photography. It is known for its innovative displays and is said to be the best photography museum in the country, if not the world. This venue also has a large collection of work reflecting San Francisco and the Bay Area. And because only 30 people are admitted every two hours, the museum is never overly crowded or noisy.

exterior of Pier 24 Photography
in San Francisco, California

interior gallery at Pier 24 Photography
in San Francisco, California

railroad to nowhere at entrance to museum

The displays are divided among 17 rooms. Visitors are provided with a booklet that has a map of the exhibition and lists which artist’s works are in each room. The current show “Looking Forward: Ten Years of Pier 24 Photography,” celebrates the museum’s tenth anniversary with collection highlights addressing “the human condition in the twenty-first century.” Some of my favorites include the painterly “24th Street” (Daniel Postaer, 2018), the colorful “Ratatouillie and Smoke Bush” (Daniel Gordon, 2014), and the floral “Poppies Blue Tin” (Richard Learoyd, 2018). The show is on view through the end of 2023.