Inside The San Diego Museum of Art’s Centennial Celebration

In 2026, The San Diego Museum of Art marks a remarkable milestone: 100 years since opening its doors in Balboa Park. What began on February 28, 1926, as the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego has grown into one of the region’s most important cultural institutions — a place where art, history, and community converge. To honor this legacy, the museum has launched a year-long centennial celebration filled with major exhibitions, special events, and expanded community programming.

“For a century, The San Diego Museum of Art has served as a cultural anchor, inspiring generations through the power of art,” says Roxana Velásquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO. “Our Centennial is not only a reflection on our history, but a declaration of our future.”

At the heart of the centennial celebration is an ambitious exhibition calendar highlighting the museum’s past, present, and future.

On view through July 26, 2026, SDMA 100 Years explores the institution’s rich history through archival photographs, ephemera, and historical materials drawn from the museum’s archives and the San Diego History Center. A community slideshow will also feature personal photographs and memories submitted by visitors, weaving the public’s stories into the museum’s narrative.

Also debuting on view through July 26, 2026, Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade invites San Diego artists to reinterpret the museum’s iconic Spanish Colonial Revival exterior through contemporary artistic perspectives. Among the featured artists are Centennial Artist Honorees Wagner Humphreys, Lori Mitchell, and Tim Novara, joined by seven additional creatives whose works explore how a single architectural landmark can inspire new ideas across generations.

April 4 through September 20, 2026, SDMA presents Cafés and Cabarets: The Spectacular Art of Toulouse-Lautrec, showcasing approximately 35 works from the museum’s renowned collection of the French Post-Impressionist master. Because these works are highly light-sensitive, they are rarely displayed — making this exhibition a rare opportunity to experience the artist’s vivid depictions of Parisian nightlife.

Rounding out the Centennial exhibition lineup is Forging a Legacy: 15 Years of Landmark Acquisitions, opening May 16. The exhibition highlights transformative additions to the Museum’s collection over the past decade and a half, including works by masters such as Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Lucas Cranach, and John Singer Sargent, alongside contemporary artists including Hugo Crosthwaite, Lalla Essaydi, and Cauleen Smith. The exhibition underscores the Museum’s commitment to expanding its global collection while bridging historic masterpieces with contemporary voices.

In keeping with its centennial theme of community connection, The San Diego Museum of Art is also expanding partnerships and educational initiatives.

A collaboration with San Diego Ballet will bring performances inspired by the museum’s collections and exhibitions throughout the year, creating a dialogue between visual art and dance.

Meanwhile, the new MySDMA partnership with the San Diego Public Library offers free art-making workshops at the City Heights/Weingart Library. Families participating in the program can also sign up for monthly bus tours to the museum, where they’ll experience guided gallery visits and hands-on creative activities.

To commemorate the milestone year, the museum is also releasing a special publication, The San Diego Museum of Art: Collection Highlights — Celebrating a Century, featuring works from across the Museum’s collection and many pieces included in the Forging a Legacy exhibition.

Visitors will also find centennial merchandise — including commemorative T-shirts, tote bags, and lapel pins — available in the Museum Store.

For those eager to explore the museum’s history interactively, a new centennial timeline game in the museum’s app invites visitors to test their knowledge by placing historical milestones in order while unlocking stories about artworks and artists along the way.

While the Centennial celebrates the Museum’s remarkable past, it also offers a glimpse into its future. The ongoing exhibition A New Vision for the Next Century highlights expansion and renovation plans designed in collaboration with world-renowned architecture firm Foster + Partners, outlining how the museum aims to evolve for generations to come.

A century after its founding, The San Diego Museum of Art remains a vital part of the city’s cultural life — continuing to inspire creativity, curiosity, and connection.

For more information on centennial events and exhibitions, visit sdmart.org.