This is the final part of a four-part series on the 100th anniversary of the San Diego Museum of Art. Part 1 explores the museum’s deep history, Part 2 looks at SDMA’s expansion proposal and Part 3 at the renowned architect behind its design.
San Diego Museum of Art plans to spend 2026 celebrating its 100th anniversary and the attraction has once-in-a-generation exhibits, unearthed archives and never-before-seen acquisitions ready to share.
The exhibits start rolling out Saturday, but the official commemoration takes place on Feb. 28 with a community birthday fest, cake party and more.
Here’s a look at what to expect for the celebration of San Diego’s oldest art museum.
SDMA 100 Years
The museum has a storied past, though its inception came later than many of its peers in Balboa Park. During World War II, the Navy took over the building to run a hospital, complete with a surgery suite and morgue. Meanwhile, the museum operated out of a Mission Hills mansion until it could return. More recently, it merged with the Museum of Photographic Arts.
Visitors will be able to learn about that period, along with the rest of the museum’s history, through a massive exhibit pulling together photos, footage and ephemera from its archives.
“People don’t really see the archives very much, so we want to bring those out,” said Anita Feldman, chief curator at SDMA.
The archives exhibit opens Saturday and continues through July 26.
Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade
Thanks to its strong collection of master paintings, many assume SDMA focuses on historic art. In reality, when it opened in 1926 as the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, most pieces in the municipal art gallery were contemporary.
“We do have a lot of contemporary art, and surprisingly, we always have people think that’s something new, but it isn’t actually,” Feldman said.
The museum has expanded over the years, including through acquisitions of pieces from world-renowned artists, while continuing to highlight the works of local artists.
Some emerging locals, like Carlo Miranda and Marianela de la Hoz, had their first big show at SDMA. To support the community further, SDMA commissioned local artists to reimagine the museum’s iconic exterior in new ways. After an open call, 10 artists were selected to show the creative range and depth of talent in San Diego, their diverse art styles and their vision as inspired by the building.
Maybe Jamul-based designer Brandon Palma will show a trippy collage over the façade or Centennial Artist Honoree Tim Novara will reinterpret sculptures with prisms and lines.
Like “SDMA 100 Years,” it will be on display from Saturday through July 26.
Cafes and Cabarets: The Spectacular Art of Toulouse-Lautrec
SDMA boasts the complete collection of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s years of cabaret adverts. Yet most San Diegans have not seen his ground-breaking poster art illustrating Paris’ bohemian night life.
That is for a simple reason: His works are on fragile, thin paper that will fall apart under too much light.
“When I first started at the museum, I was told we couldn’t show them for decades,” Feldman, who has worked at SDMA for 11 years, said. “I thought, if they’re going to rest for decades, let’s make a special occasion out of this centennial and let’s bring them out just for this and let people of this generation have a chance to see them.”
The posters were last shown to the public in 2010. In addition to 100 posters, the museum has a few paintings and drawings from the beloved artist, who died in 1901. Of those, around 50 will make it into the exhibit.
“It’s a very special treat and it’s going to be really beautiful,” Feldman said.
The exhibit will be available for the public to view from April 4 to Sept. 20. Toulouse-Lautrec’s work also will serve as inspiration for the museum’s annual fundraiser, Art Alive.
Forging a Legacy: 15 Years of Landmark Acquisitions
The final centennial exhibit digs into the museum’s recent history. The eclectic show will pull 100 pieces, gifts to the museum within the last 15 years. Feldman had the idea for the show due to the quantity and quality of recent donations to the museum.
“They’ve been staggering. There’s been thousands,” she said.
Some already have been on display in past exhibits like the museum’s landmark minimalism show in 2025. Feldman thinks other recent acquisitions will shock people.
“I wanted to show really what a legacy the museum is leaving for the people of San Diego, and also (offer) thanks to them, because almost all of them were gifts from the public, from collectors in San Diego and donors,” Feldman said.
SDMA also will publish an update to its catalogue, celebrating the museum’s works, for the first time in 20 years. It won’t be an academic exercise, but rather a coffee table-style book that the public can purchase as a souvenir.
The exhibit, “Forging a Legacy: 15 Years of Landmark Acquisitions,” will be up from May 16 to Sept. 7.
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