The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has announced a comprehensive overhaul of its Fisher Collection galleries, marking a significant milestone as the renowned collection reaches its tenth year on display at the museum. The new presentation, titled "Reimagined: The Fisher Collection at 10," will open on April 18, 2026, featuring 250 artworks by 35 modern and contemporary artists across an expansive 60,000 square feet of gallery space.
The Fisher Collection, comprising blue-chip contemporary art assembled by Donald and Doris Fisher, has been a cornerstone of SFMOMA's offerings since 2016. The collection became available to the museum through an extraordinary arrangement with the Fisher Art Foundation—a 100-year-long loan that ensures the artworks will remain accessible to the public for generations to come. This decade-long presence at SFMOMA has established the collection as one of the museum's most significant attractions.
The ambitious reinstallation project is being spearheaded by Ted Mann, the Fisher Collection's project assistant curator, and Gamynne Guillotte, SFMOMA's chief education and public engagement officer. Their collaborative effort aims to present the collection in an entirely new light, offering fresh perspectives on works that have become familiar to regular museum visitors over the past decade.
Donald and Doris Fisher, who were longtime members of ARTnews's prestigious Top 200 Collectors list, founded the Gap, Inc. clothing brand in 1969 and began building their art collection soon afterward. Their collecting focus encompassed significant holdings of work by major artists including Alexander Calder, Gerhard Richter, and Andy Warhol, among many other notable contemporary masters. Donald Fisher passed away in 2009, but the family's connection to SFMOMA has remained strong through their son Robert Fisher, who served on the museum's board of trustees for over two decades before stepping down this summer to assume the role of chair emeritus.
"Reimagined" will be strategically distributed across four floors of the museum, with each level organized around distinct thematic concepts. The third floor will spotlight playful, large-scale sculptures by the collaborative duo Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, alongside related drawings and preparatory models that offer insight into their creative process. This presentation will allow visitors to understand the evolution of these iconic public artworks from initial concept to final realization.
The fourth floor takes a more intimate approach, featuring monographic galleries dedicated to 14 different artists represented in the Fisher collection. Among the highlighted artists are Philip Guston, whose late paintings challenged artistic conventions; Agnes Martin, known for her subtle grid paintings that explore themes of perfection and transcendence; and Roy Lichtenstein, whose pop art masterpieces transformed comic book imagery into high art. Each monographic space will provide an in-depth exploration of individual artistic practices and their historical significance.
The fifth floor will showcase the work of three artists whom the Fishers collected with particular depth and dedication: Alexander Calder, renowned for his revolutionary mobiles and stabiles; Sol LeWitt, whose conceptual wall drawings and geometric sculptures redefined artistic creation; and Ellsworth Kelly, whose bold color compositions and shaped canvases influenced generations of artists. This concentrated presentation will demonstrate the Fishers' commitment to understanding and supporting specific artistic visions over extended periods.
The sixth floor will feature galleries dedicated to Anselm Kiefer, William Kentridge, and other contemporary artists whose works employ diverse materials and innovative processes to examine the psychological and physical legacies of nationalism and colonialism. According to the museum's statement, this section will address some of the most pressing social and political issues reflected in contemporary art practice. Additionally, the sixth floor will house a detailed timeline tracing the complete history of the Fisher Collection, providing visitors with context about how this remarkable assemblage of artworks came together over several decades.
To enhance visitor engagement, the reinstallation will include a dedicated studio space for hands-on activities, allowing museum guests to explore artistic techniques and concepts through direct experience. This educational component reflects SFMOMA's commitment to making contemporary art accessible and engaging for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Christopher Bedford, director of SFMOMA, characterized the reinstallation as "a revelation in its storytelling about artists, collectors and the social dynamics that inspired and shaped them." His statement emphasizes the museum's intention to present the Fisher Collection not merely as a display of individual masterworks, but as a comprehensive narrative about the relationships between artistic creation, patronage, and cultural context that define the contemporary art world.
