The new de Young turns 5 this Saturday; you get in for $5

This Saturday, the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park will celebrate their fifth birthday. That’s 5 years since they re-opened to the public in their new building that was designed by Herzog & de Meuron with Fong & Chan Architects:

Constructed of natural materials including copper, stone, wood and glass, the de Young blends with and complements its natural surroundings of Golden Gate Park. The building’s dramatic copper façade, chosen for its changeable quality through oxidation, is perforated and textured to replicate the impression made by light filtering through the tree canopy. A 144-foot tower with observation floor offers visitors a 360-degree view of the entire Bay Area.

To honor it, the museum is offering $5 admission all day on Saturday. That includes access to the museum’s permanent collection and featured exhibitions like the textile show To Dye For: A World Saturated in Color and works from American painter, printmaker, and conceptual artist Pat Steir: After Hokusai, After Hiroshige.

The museum also recently opened Developed and Undeveloped: Photographic Landscapes, a diverse selection of over 35 photographs of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries that depict “a variety of approaches to framing the landscape, with scenes of unspoiled wilderness contrasted with sites bearing evidence of human intervention”.

Note that the $5 admission on Saturday does not include admission to the Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay exhbition.

Happy 5th birthday to the new de Young!

Sarah B.