Haute Top 5: Top Art Galleries in San Francisco 2017

The Caldwell Snyder gallery was founded in 1983 by Oliver Caldwell and Susan Snyder. Over the years, Caldwell Snyder has mounted more than 500 exhibitions. The programing is dynamic and they focus on developing long-lasting relationships with collectors. Of the gallery’s style Caldwell says, “art audiences today are inundated with imagery. Collectors have seen a million landscapes, abstract works, and figures. The challenge is to be a distinctive and meaningful voice.” Note that there is a second Caldwell Snyder gallery in St. Helena.

Serge Sorokko established his powerhouse gallery on Geary Street in 1984. He is internationally recognized as being a champion of post-war and contemporary artwork in a wide range of mediums including sculpture, painting, paper drawings, and photography. Recently the gallery hosted the first American show for one of Italy’s most acclaimed jewelry makers, Casa Codognato.

At Jeffrey Fraenkel’s gallery, which opened in 1979, he initially explored how photography relates to other types of art. Fraenkel Gallery represents iconic photographers like Diane Arbus and Garry Winogrand. In more recent years, the gallery has shifted programing to be more than just photography. Last year FraenkenlLAB was opened as a space for adventurous artists working in any medium.

A new face in San Francisco, but not the international art scene is Larry Gagosian. He opened a gallery downtown on Howard Street and manages to show some of the top artists of our time like Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, and Richard Meier. The current exhibit is Notepads, Holograms, and Books and features new works by Ed Ruscha and Jonas Wood.

The Minnesota Street Project is a newcomer to the SF art community. It opened in spring of last year in the Dogpatch neighborhood and houses over ten influential galleries like Altman Siegel, Adrian Rosenfeld, and Jack Fischer. It’s also home to an arts non-profit, the San Francisco Arts Education Project, and an event space. Just this week, chef and restauranteur Daniel Patterson has opened a second location of his popular Market Street restaurant, Alta. The eatery is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (10 a.m. on weekends) with counter service during the day and table service in the evening. Grab a pastry and coffee or plate of fresh tagliarini and glass of wine. The restaurant and many different galleries make Minnesota Street Project a place to visit and hang out at all day.