San Diego Museum of Art

Located towards the north of the Plaza de Panama, the San Diego Museum of Art is thought to be one of, if not the most important of its kind on the West Coast. The extremely impressive collection of Italian Renaissance and Spanish Baroque paintings form the core of the museum, although it also boasts much American, Asian and modern art.
It was originally known as the fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, but after the 1915 expo, it was widely felt that the young and thriving city needed its own high quality, permanent art collection. William Templeton Johnson was given the post of architect, and he was heavily influenced by the Plateresque, a 16th century Spanish theme or style. The Spanish influence is very clear to see, with sculptures of Ribera, Murillo and El Greco to name but a few.
It is well worth checking in advance to see if there are any particular events or exhibitions coming up. The international traveling exhibitions tend to attract massive crowds. However its permanent collection is also a joy to behold and includes many works such as Goya’s Marques de Sofraga, El greco’s St Peter Penitent, Rubens’ Allegory of Eternity and Gustave Courbet’s Silent Pool.
The museum opens 10am to 4:30pm Tuesday to Sunday and admission is quite cheap.

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