San Francisco’s de Young Museum is giving works on paper a joyful spotlight. A Gallery of Their Own: Women Artists from the Carr and Goldblum Gift, on view in Gallery 17 through February 14, 2027, brings together photographs, prints, and drawings made exclusively by women artists active since the 1960s — a celebration of creativity that is both intimate and full of surprises.
The lineup reads like a roll call of modern art greats: Louise Bourgeois, Lee Krasner, and Yayoi Kusama, alongside Bay Area favorites such as Judy Dater and Jay DeFeo. Many of the works drift into surreal, dream-like scenes, while others take on the delightful challenge of capturing movement in a still image. Some artists bring a sculptural touch to flat paper, and others map the natural world in wonderfully inventive ways. The exhibition’s signature image, Sandy Skoglund’s Fragile Steps (Walking on Eggshells) from 1997, sets the playful tone perfectly.
Best of all, the show is a gift in every sense: every work comes from the promised gift of San Francisco collectors Michael Carr and Peter Goldblum, whose generosity now belongs to everyone. With months still to go, it is an easy, uplifting stop on any Golden Gate Park day.
Photo: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
