Diane Arbus: Sanctum Sanctorum
March 12–May 22, 2026
Solo Photography Exhibition
Presented by Fraenkel Gallery and David Zwirner
Image: Diane Arbus. Mae West in her bedroom, Santa Monica, Cal. 1965. Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco.
Fraenkel Gallery
49 Geary Street, Suite 450
San Francisco, CA 94108
+1 415-981-2661
Fraenkel Gallery Website
Fraenkel Gallery Instagram
Fraenkel Gallery Hours
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10:30 am – 5:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 10:30 am – 5:30 pm |
| Thursday | 10:30 am – 5:30 pm |
| Friday | 10:30 am – 5:30 pm |
| Saturday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Overview
Today’s LOVE LETTER TO ART is Fraenkel Gallery’s Diane Arbus: Sanctum Sanctorum, on view throuth May 22, 2026.
Diane Arbus: Sanctum Sanctorum at Fraenkel Gallery brings together intimate photographs made in private spaces between 1961 and 1971. Through her empathetic and unflinching lens, Diane Arbus captures a wide spectrum of subjects—from socialites to circus performers—in moments of quiet vulnerability and recognition. Featuring both celebrated and rarely seen works, the exhibition offers a deeper look into the artist’s singular ability to reveal the complexities of human experience.
Preview of Diane Arbus: Sanctum Sanctorum. Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco.
Shown here:
1) Fraenkel Gallery’s Diane Arbus: Sanctum Sanctorum brings together 45 intimate photographs taken between 1961 and 1971.
2) Sanctum Sanctorum, meaning “Holy of Holies” in Latin, reflects the exhibition’s deeply personal and revelatory nature.
3) Alongside iconic images, the show features rarely seen Arbus photographs absent from SFMOMA’s major 2017 retrospective.
4) Dark, witty, and handled with care, Arbus documented lives often overlooked by society at the time.
5) Her lens reflects beauty, individuality, and humanity back to the viewer with startling clarity.
6) Diane Arbus fans, photography lovers, and admirers of vintage imagery will ADORE this show.
Confession—I rushed over to Fraenkel on the day after the opening because I LOVE DIANE ARBUS. This is going to be a totally biased review, since I am a HUGE Arbus fan, but Sanctum Sanctorum, which is the Latin phrase for “Holy of Holies,” is an EXCELLENT show. It features so many stunning photographs that didn’t appear in the last major Arbus exhibition at SFMOMA back in 2017, which was a comprehensive study of her early years (see my review of it HERE, which also includes her bio).
Her work never gets old to me. Her photography is like a magic mirror, reflecting the beauty of its subjects—those considered, at that time, to be on the fringes of society (members of the LGBTQ+ community, performers, the disabled, the poor)—back to the viewer. To learn more about Arbus’ life and photographic process, I highly recommend the 1972 John Musilli documentary, Masters of Photography: Diane Arbus, also linked below.
Dark, witty, and handled with care, Arbus’ rarified glimpses into the lives of overlooked people are a gift that continues to stand out six decades later, even with the invention of digital photography and AI. So of course, Diane Arbus fans will ADORE this Sanctum Sanctorum of a show, as will photography enthusiasts and lovers of vintage images.
The show’s accompanying catalogue by Diane Arbus can be purchased at on Fraenkel Gallery’s website for $55.00 and on Amazon as well.
🗓 Diane Arbus: Sanctum Sanctorum runs until May 22, 2026 at Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco’s Union Square.
💌 Did you see the show or try any of our recommendations? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).
Currently on View at Fraenkel Gallery
Sanctum Sanctorum | Fraenkel Gallery | Nov. 15, 2025–May 3, 2026.
An exhibition of photographs by Diane Arbus made in homes and other private realms seldom seen by strangers.
Coming Soon to Fraenkel Gallery
Slice of the Pie | Fraenkel Gallery | May 28, 2026–Aug. 15, 2026
An exhibition titled Slice of the Pie brings together work from fifteen Bay Area galleries, featuring more than 40 artists. *Public reception on Saturday, May 30, from 3:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
QUICK GUIDE: FRAENKEL GALLERY
⭐ FRAENKEL GALLERY EXHIBITIONS:
- Diane Arbus: Sanctum Sanctorum brings together 45 intimate photographs from 1961–1971, showcasing Diane Arbus’s singular ability to capture moments of vulnerability, individuality, and human complexity. | Nov. 15, 2025–May 3, 2026
⭐ UPCOMING FRAENKEL GALLERY EXHIBITIONS:
- SLICE OF THE PIE: Fourteen Bay Area Galleries & What Makes Them Different brings together more than 40 artists and works from Berggruen Gallery, Rebecca Camacho Presents, Casemore Gallery, Catharine Clark Gallery, Crown Point Press, Euqinom Gallery, Fraenkel Gallery, Hosfelt Gallery, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Anthony Meier, Micki Meng, Jonathan Carver Moore, Gallery Wendi Norris, and Jessica Silverman in a collaborative exhibition celebrating the Bay Area’s spirit of artistic experimentation, independence, and community. | May 28, 2026–Aug. 15, 2026 *Public reception on Saturday, May 30, from 3:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
⭐ FRAENKEL GALLERY HOURS: Open Tuesday–Friday 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Saturday 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.. CLOSED SUNDAY & MONDAY.
⭐ FRAENKEL GALLERY NEARBY ART:
- GALLERY: Maybaum Gallery (Union Square) | ON VIEW: Dharma Strasser MacColl: Map of Variations | April 1–May 20, 2026 | Down the hall from Fraenkel Gallery
- Maybaum Gallery Pop-Up (Union Square) | ON VIEW: Kim Cogan: Afterlight | May 1–June 1, 2026 | ON VIEW: Hadas Tal: Here to Eternity | May 1–31, 2026 | 9-min walk
- GALLERY: Christopher-Clark Fine Art (Union Square) | Specializes in original prints and fine art spanning the Old Masters, Impressionism, Post-War, and Contemporary art, with works by artists ranging from Salvador Dalí to Banksy. | 4-min walk
- MUSEUM: MoAD (SoMa) | ON VIEW: UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe explores Blackness as infinite and cosmically expansive, featuring global artists including Lorna Simpson and Rashaad Newsome across painting, sculpture, installation, and video. | Oct. 1, 2025–Oct. 16, 2026. ON VIEW: Jasmine Ross: Beauty Plus documents the closure of a Black-owned beauty supply store, revealing the tension between empowerment, community, and the commodification of Black identity. | March 18–May 31, 2026 | 6-min walk
- MUSEUM: SFMOMA (SoMa) | ON VIEW: Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal explores the story behind one of the most iconic works in the museum’s collection and looks at how this 1905 painting—shocking at the time of its debut—has influenced artists and charmed audiences for more than 120 years. | May 16, 2026–Sept. 13, 2026 | 7-min walk
- MUSEUM: YBCA (SoMa) | ON VIEW: Diedrick Brackens: gather tender nightis the Bay Area solo debut of Diedrick Brackens, presenting luminous handwoven tapestries that explore tenderness, migration, and queer connection to the natural world through richly dyed cotton and acrylic fiber. ON VIEW: Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements is a multimedia exhibition celebrating the resilience, creativity, and resistance of Bay Area queer and trans communities through murals, rare archival photography, and contemporary video—featuring artists including Ester Hernández and materials from the GLBT Historical Society. | March 13–Aug. 23, 2026 | 9-min walk
- PUBLIC ART: Yerba Buena Gardens (SoMa) | ON VIEW: Revelation, the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial fountain and several others at Yerba Buena Gardens (see LINK for additional works at YBG) | 9-min walk
- GALLERY: Berggruen Gallery (SoMa) | ON VIEW: Michael Gregory: Far Side of Town and Darren Waterston: A Tiny Radiance in a Dark Place | May 7–June 25, 2026 | 10-min walk
- GALLERY: Jonathan Carver Moore (Tenderloin) | UPCOMING: Tender Forms: A Group Exhibition Celebrating Artists from the Asian Diaspora with Maya Fuji, Nibha Akireddy, Shingo Yamazaki, and Justin Yoon from May 20–June 20, 2026 *Opening Reception: May 20, 2026 | 11-min walk
- GALLERY: Micki Meng (Chinatown) | ON VIEW: David Horvitz: My grandmother… | April 20–June 12, 2026 | 11-min walk
- GALLERY: Jessica Silverman (Chinatown) | ON VIEW: Alison Elizabeth Taylor: I’ll Be Your Mirror from April 24–May 30, 2026 UPCOMING: Julian Hoeber: Binocular Rivalry and Oliver Osborne: The Card Players from June 5–July 11, 2026 *Opening Reception: June 5, 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. | 10-min walk
- GALLERY: Edge on the Square (Chinatown) | ON VIEW: All Eyes on Us: Invention & Ingenuity During Artistic Diasporas feat. Bhumikorn Kongtaveelert, David Huang, Jeanette Lazam, Jiabao Li, Ko Si Hing, Leland Wong, Sun Park, Terry Luk, Yumei Hou, and Yuqian Sun. ONGOING. | 12-min walk
- GALLERY: Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (Chinatown) | ON VIEW: Justin Wong: Carry On from Feb 14-June 29, 2026 | 13-min walk
- GALLERY: Rebecca Camacho Presents (Jackson Square) | ON VIEW: Nancy Friedemann-Sánchez: Arcane Appetites from May 7–June 20, 2026 | 15-min walk
- MUSEUM: Chinese Historical Society of America (Chinatown) | *Reopens May 30, 2026. The museum (housed in the Julia Morgan designed YWCA BUILDING) is the oldest and largest archive and research center on Chinese American history in the U.S. ON VIEW: We Are Bruce Lee: Under the Sky, One Family; The Underground: We Love Bruce Lee; Living in Chinatown: Memories in Miniature, Created by Frank Wong; and Challenging a White-Washed History: Chinese Laundries in the U.S. (temporarily closed) *Earlier this year, they announced plans to commission a bronze Bruce Lee statue in Chinatown’s Portsmouth Square. | 16-min walk
- GALLERY: Gallery Wendi Norris (Jackson Square) | ON VIEW: Ranu Mukherjee: The Long Middle from May 20–July 3, 2026 | 17-min walk
⭐ FRAENKEL GALLERY NEARBY DINING
- Tropisueño (SoMa) | Taqueria by day and a full-service restaurant and bar by night with a warm, relaxed vibe. | 5-min walk
- Delarosa (SoMa) | Pizza and pasta. BOOK DELAROSA ON OPEN TABLE HERE| 4-min walk
- Amber India (SoMa) | Upscale Indian food w/ *Mon–Fri LUNCH SPECIALS starting at $18 & $32 Lunch Buffet! BOOK AMBER INDIA ON OPEN TABLE HERE| 4-min walk
- Metreon Food Hall (SoMa) | Budget-friendly assortment of food vendors i.e. burgers, salads, poke bowls, wraps, ramen. | 4-min walk
- The Harlequin (SoMa) | Cocktail bar w/Brooklyn vibes serving lunch (Thurs., Sat., Sun.) and dinner. *Check out their FABULOUS HAPPY HOUR 4:00–6:00 p.m. daily featuring $2 oysters and $11 cocktails. BOOK THE HARLEQUIN ON OPEN TABLE HERE | 7-min walk
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S CHEAP & CHEERFUL PICKS
- Escape From New York Pizza (Financial District) | New-York style pizza sold as pies or by the slice. *Check out their happy hour on Mon-Fri from 4-6 pm with $3 slices and $3 beers. | 3-min walk
- Boudin (Union Square) | Historic San Francisco bread bakery and restaurant known for its original Gold Rush-era sourdough starter. My comfort FAVES include the clam chowder and turkey cranberry sandwich—and of course, a freshly baked sourdough baguette to go. | 5-min walk
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S CASUAL DINING PICKS
- Ippudo (SoMa) | Cozy, modern ramen restaurant with a full bar. *Check out their DAILY HAPPY HOUR from 3:00–6:00 p.m. | 4-min walk
- Oren’s Hummus (SoMa) | Delicious Israeli food in a casual friendly setting. *Check out their AMAZING HAPPY HOUR Mon–Thurs 3:00–5:00 p.m. | 5-min walk
- Pagan Idol (Financial District) | Enjoy crafted cocktails and an extensive rum selection at Pagan Idol, a tropical oasis in San Francisco’s Financial District with a ship-like interior. | 7-min walk
💖 A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S DATE NIGHT PICKS
- The Rotunda (Union Square) | Neiman Marcus’ iconic Union Square restaurant set beneath the historic stained-glass dome of the former City of Paris department store, known for elegant lunch, afternoon tea, and champagne service. BOOK THE ROTUNDA AT NEIMAN MARCUS ON OPEN TABLE HERE | 4-min walk
- Bourbon Lounge (Union Square)| The Bourbon Lounge pairs craft cocktails with historic San Francisco charm beside the famed Magneta Grandfather Clock at the Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. BOOK THE BOURBON LOUNGE ON SEVEN ROOMS HERE | 5-min walk
- Bourbon Steak (Union Square) | Michael Mina’s steakhouse at The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square offering seasonal California cuisine, craft cocktails, and live music in an iconic Union Square landmark. BOOK BOURBON STEAK ON OPEN TABLE HERE | 5-min walk
- The Eighth Rule (Union Square) | Stephen Curry’s bourbon bar offering an intimate setting for craft pours, connection, and personalized tasting experiences also in The Westin St. Francis BOOK THE EIGHTH RULE ON SEVEN ROOMS HERE | 5-min walk
- The Pied Piper (Financial District) | Old world bar + food + Maxfield Parrish’s Pied Piper painting in SF’s historic Palace Hotel. BOOK THE PIED PIPER ON OPEN TABLE HERE | 5-min walk
- John’s Grill (Union Square) | Historic San Francisco steakhouse near Union Square known for classic steaks, live jazz, and its connection to The Maltese Falcon. BOOK JOHN’S GRILL ON OPEN TABLE HERE | 7-min walk
A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS
More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!
FRAENKEL GALLERY NEARBY ART
Maybaum Gallery | 49 Geary Street, Suite 416 San Francisco, CA 94108 & 77 O'Farrell St Pop-Up, San Francisco, CA 94108
Maybaum Gallery is a contemporary San Francisco gallery representing emerging and mid-career artists through thoughtfully curated exhibitions focused on process-driven contemporary art.
Christopher Clark Fine Art | 272 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94108
San Francisco's Premier Fine Art Gallery. Specializing in Original Prints, antique and modern, including Rembrandt Etchings, Picasso prints and more.
Museum of the African Diaspora | Art, Blackness & the Universe | Oct. 1, 2025–Oct. 16, 2026 | 685 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105
UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe is a groundbreaking exhibition that explores the intersections of Blackness and the cosmos. The show invites visitors to reimagine Blackness not as fixed or earthbound, but as infinite—expansive, unknowable, and cosmically rich.
Museum of the African Diaspora | Beauty Plus | March 18–May 31, 2026. | 685 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Beauty Plus commemorates the closure of the 31 year-old, second Black-owned beauty supply in New Haven, Connecticut. Over three months, Ross documented the store?s final days with her 4 x 5 film camera, honoring owner Mel, while revealing a layered narrative of small business ownership, communal care, and Black survival.
SFMOMA | Matisse's Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal | May 16, 2026–Sept. 13, 2026 | 151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal explores the story behind one of the most iconic works in the museum’s collection and looks at how this 1905 painting—shocking at the time of its debut—has influenced artists and charmed audiences for more than 120 years.
YBCA | Diedrick Brackens: gather tender night | March 13–Aug. 23, 2026 | 701 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103
The artist’s first solo exhibition in the Bay Area.
YBCA | Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements | March 13–Aug. 23, 2026 | 701 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103
A multimedia exhibition exploring the resilient beauty, cultural richness, and fierce resistance of Bay Area queer and trans communities.
Public Art | Visit Yerba Buena | 750 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94103
The variety of dazzling public art in Yerba Buena Gardens by noted artists from around the globe will surprise, delight, and intrigue. A glass ship rises from the earth, a bronze statue greets visitors, and a robotic sculpture comes to life with your help. Tributes to Martin Luther King,…
Berggruen Gallery | 10 Hawthorne St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Berggruen Gallery specializes in the exhibition and sale of 20th-century American and European paintings, drawings, sculpture, and limited edition prints.
Jonathan Carver Moore | 966 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Jonathan Carver Moore is a contemporary art gallery that specializes in working with emerging and established artists who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women. As the only openly gay Black male owned gallery in San Francisco, Jonathan is committed to amplifying the voices of the often underrepresented artists through a Black queer lens.
Micki Meng | 716 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA 94108
Micki Meng is an absurdly small vitrine gallery featuring works for sale by leading local and international contemporary artists. Our gallery borders San Francisco’s historic Chinatown and downtown Financial District.
Jessica Silverman | 621 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108
Jessica Silverman is a contemporary art gallery that represents emerging and mid-career artists.
Edge on the Square | 800 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108
Welcome to Edge on the Square, the contemporary art hub located at the heart of San Francisco Chinatown. Our year-round programming is designed to bring together creators and educators for a well-rounded cultural experience. Our space welcomes Asian American artists for our twice annual art exhibitions and our signature annual contemporary art festival, as well as music events and community gatherings that foster cultural exchange and understanding.
Chinese Culture Center Of San Francisco | 750 Kearny St 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108
Rooted in SF Chinatown since 1965, Chinese Culture Center creates safe spaces for artistic expressions and creative engagement that build resilient, vibrant, and healthy communities. Our artistic programs are located at CCC’s Visual Art Center, 41 Ross, throughout Chinatown public spaces and beyond.
Rebecca Camacho Presents | 526 Washington St, San Francisco, CA 94111
Rebecca Camacho Presents is a contemporary art gallery located in the Jackson Square neighborhood of San Francisco that presents emerging and mid-career artists.
Chinese Historical Society of America | 965 Clay St, San Francisco, CA 94108
The Chinese Historical Society of America collects, preserves, and illuminates the history of Chinese in America by serving as a center for research, scholarship, and learning to inspire a greater appreciation for, and knowledge of, their collective experience through exhibitions, public programs, and any other means for reaching the widest audience.
Gallery Wendi Norris | 436 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94111
Gallery Wendi Norris champions visionary artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Grounded by its decades-long relationships with these luminaries, the gallery represents those artists whose nomadic, intuitive, and intellectually rigorous practices interrogate the aesthetic, scientific, and philosophical movements of their time and whose work flows across disciplines, continents, and generations.
FRAENKEL GALLERY NEARBY DINING
Tropisueño Mexican Kitchen | Taqueria By Day, Full-Service Bar & Restaurant By Night! | 75 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco, CA 94103
Inspired by a tropical dream of the Jaliscan coastline and the complex cuisines from the very diverse regions throughout Mexico. We proudly offer a quick-service Taqueria by day and a charming, full-service Restaurant by night. Our Bar is open from start to finish, so enjoy our excellent handcrafted cocktails everytime you visit!
Delarosa | All-Day, Roman-Style Pizzerias in California | 37 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco, CA 94103
Delarosa is an all-day gathering place serving rustic Italian dishes, eclectic beers & craft cocktails in SF’s Marina, a second location in SF’s FiDi, and now open in Bishop Ranch, San Ramon, CA. Beloved for its Roman-style pizza, small plates, craft beer, Italian and Californian wines, and delicious craft cocktails, Delarosa and its interpretation of the classic and unpretentious beer and pizza pairing has made a mark on many locals’ and visitors’ must-visit lists.
Amber India | 25 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco, CA 94103 | Book on OpenTable
Amber India - San Francisco, Fine Dining Indian cuisine. Read reviews and book now. *Check out their Mon–Fri LUNCH SPECIALS starting at $18 & $32 Lunch Buffet!
Dining at Metreon | *Metreon has many great casual dining options. | 135 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Visit Metreon, a four-story vertical shopping and entertainment center, located in the heart of downtown San Francisco, CA. Shop with us today!
The Harlequin | Cocktail Bar, Restaurant, Lounge and Event Space | 68 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
WELCOME TO THE HARLEQUIN: A Decadent Era of Cocktails and Dining in Downtown San Francisco. Party like it's 1923 while enjoying expertly crafted cocktails paired with New American cuisine. Our spaces are great for happy hours, group celebrations, date nights, private dining, and corporate events. Located steps from Moscone Center in the Yerba Buena neighborhood. *Check out their FABULOUS HAPPY HOUR 4:00–6:00 p.m. daily featuring $2 oysters and $11 cocktails
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S CHEAP & CHEERFUL PICK | Escape From New York Pizza (Financial District) | 333 Bush St, Ste 104, San Francisco, CA 94104
Financial District Escape From New York Pizza San Francisco. Order online for free delivery to the Financial District. Free pizza delivery to your office! *Check out their happy hour on Mon-Fri from 4-6 pm with $3 slices and $3 beers.
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S CHEAP & CHEERFUL PICK | Boudin Bakery Macy's Union Square | 170 O'Farrell StreetSan Francisco, CA 94102
Historic San Francisco bread bakery and restaurant known for its original Gold Rush-era sourdough starter. Visit our restaurant in the heart of San Francisco’s shopping district at Macy’s Union Square. Choose from our location in the Cellar (level 4) or visit our upstairs Kiosk on level 1. *My FAVES include their classic clam chowder and the turkey cranberry sandwich—and of course, a freshly baked sourdough baguette to go.
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S CASUAL PICK | IPPUDO Yerba Buena | 18 Yerba Buena Ln, San Francisco, CA 94103
Discover the best tonkotsu ramen in San Francisco at Ippudo Yerba Buena – where deep, creamy pork broth and perfectly balanced noodles come together for an unforgettable bowl. Located in the heart of Yerba Buena, we proudly serve authentic Hakata-style ramen that’s rich in flavor and tradition. Explore our menu, check our hours, and reserve your table today for a true taste of Japan’s finest ramen. *Check out their DAILY HAPPY HOUR from 3:00–6:00 p.m.
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S CASUAL PICK | Oren’s Hummus | **Check out their AMAZING HAPPY HOUR Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–5 p.m. | 71 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Our pita and hummus are prepared fresh numerous times throughout the day. We serve Angus beef, all natural chicken and 100% organic eggs, and we source most of our produce from local family farms.
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S CASUAL PICK | Pagan Idol | 375 Bush St, San Francisco, CA 94104
Pagan Idol is a Tiki bar located in the Financial District of San Francisco housed in a historical space that was once home to the infamous Tiki Bob's Mainland Rendezvous. As you enter Pagan Idol you find yourself in the belly of a wooden ship that will transport you off the streets of San Francisco and deliver you to an exotic escape. Enter the back room at your own risk and encounter the sounds and sights of a tropical island, complete with starry night sky and erupting volcano. Come to Pagan Idol to suspend reality and experience unparalleled hospitality while enjoying an extensive menu of modern Tiki cocktails and an almost limitless selection of fine rums.
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S DATE VIBES PICK | The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus | 150 Stockton Street, 4th Fl, San Francisco, CA 94108
The Rotunda is the elegant dome-topped restaurant inside Neiman Marcus San Francisco, housed within the historic former City of Paris department store overlooking Union Square. Set beneath the building’s landmark stained-glass dome, The Rotunda has long been one of San Francisco’s most iconic lunch and afternoon tea destinations, known for its refined atmosphere, seasonal California cuisine, champagne service, and sweeping views of Union Square. Blending old-world glamour with contemporary luxury, the restaurant remains a beloved setting for celebrations, shopping breaks, pre-theater dining, and special occasions in the heart of downtown San Francisco.
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S DATE VIBES PICK | Bourbon Lounge at The Westin St. Francis | 335 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
The Bourbon Lounge, located inside The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square, pairs expertly crafted cocktails with the timeless glamour of one of San Francisco’s most historic hotels. Overlooking Union Square, the lounge sits beside the hotel’s famed Magneta Grandfather Clock, a beloved landmark installed in 1907 that was reportedly tampered with by wartime spies during World War II. Blending old San Francisco intrigue with contemporary luxury, the space remains a refined downtown destination for cocktails, conversation, and city atmosphere.
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S DATE VIBES PICK | Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina at The Westin St. Francis | 335 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Bourbon Steak San Francisco reimagines Chef Michael Mina’s acclaimed steakhouse with modern flair, seasonal California ingredients, refined seafood, and signature tableside presentations. Located at The Westin St. Francis in Union Square, the restaurant features Bourbon Lounge at its heart, where guests can enjoy craft cocktails, live music, and an elevated yet welcoming atmosphere in one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S ROMANTIC PICK | The Pied Piper Bar and Lounge a the Palace Hotel | 2 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Steeped in rich history, the Pied Piper Bar at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco stands as a true testament to timeless elegance. Since its inception in 1909, this iconic establishment has welcomed generations of patrons, each experiencing its unique charm and allure. Named after the famous Maxfield Parrish mural that graces its walls, the Pied Piper Bar has witnessed countless moments of camaraderie, celebration, and connection. From its earliest days as a gathering place for locals and travelers alike, to its role as a backdrop for historical meetings, the bar's history is interwoven with the fabric of San Francisco's vibrant past.
*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S DATE VIBES PICK | John's Grill | 63 Ellis St, San Francisco, CA 94102
John's Grill is a historic San Francisco steakhouse established in 1908, just two years after the earthquake, and quickly became one of the first major downtown restaurants to reopen as the city rebuilt itself. Located near Union Square, the beloved landmark has long served as a gathering place for politicians, writers, musicians, travelers, and locals over steaks, seafood, classic cocktails, and nightly live jazz. Known for its vintage wood-paneled interiors, historic atmosphere, and famous Jack LaLanne Salad, the restaurant is also home to a Maltese Falcon statue honoring its connection to The Maltese Falcon and Dashiell Hammett’s legendary San Francisco noir novel; the restaurant’s original falcon was famously stolen in 2007. More than a restaurant, John’s Grill remains a timeless piece of San Francisco history and culture.
RELATED DIANE ARBUS BOOKS
Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph: Fortieth-Anniversary Edition
When Diane Arbus died in 1971 at the age of 48, she was already a significant influence--even something of a legend--for serious photographers, although only a relatively small number of her most important pictures were widely known at the time. The publication of Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph in 1972--along with a posthumous retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art--offered the general public its first encounter with the breadth and power of her achievements. The response was unprecedented. The monograph, composed of 80 photographs, was edited and designed by the painter Marvin Israel, Diane Arbus' friend and colleague, and by her daughter Doon Arbus. Their goal in producing the book was to remain as faithful as possible to the standards by which Arbus judged her own work and to the ways in which she hoped it would be seen. Universally acknowledged as a photobook classic, Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph is a timeless masterpiece with editions in five languages, and remains the foundation of her international reputation. Nearly half a century has done nothing to diminish the riveting impact of these pictures or the controversy they inspire. This is the first edition in which the image separations were created digitally; the files have been specially prepared by Robert J. Hennessy using prints by Neil Selkirk.
Diane Arbus Revelations
The book reproduces two hundred full-page duotones of Diane Arbus photographs spanning her entire career. It also includes a new contribution by Sarah Meister, executive director of Aperture, alongside essays by Sandra S. Phillips, senior curator of photography, emeritus, at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and a discussion of Arbus’s printing techniques by Neil Selkirk, the only person authorized to print her photographs since her death. An extensive chronology by Elisabeth Sussman, guest curator of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art show, and Doon Arbus, the artist’s eldest daughter, is illustrated by more than three hundred additional images and composed primarily of excerpts from the artist’s letters, notebooks, and other writings, amounting to a kind of autobiography. An afterword by Doon Arbus precedes biographical entries on the photographer’s friends and colleagues, compiled by Jeff L. Rosenheim, curator in charge of the Department of Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. These texts help illuminate the meaning of Diane Arbus’s controversial and astonishing vision.
Diane Arbus’s 1960s: Auguries of Experience
Gross considers Arbus less in terms of her often mythologized biography—a “Sylvia Plath with a camera”—but rather looks at how her work resonates with significant photographic portraiture, art, social currents, theoretical positions, and literature of her times, from Robert Frank and Richard Avedon to Andy Warhol and Truman Capote. He shows how her incandescent photographs seem to literalize old notions of photography as trapping a layer of the subject’s soul within the frame of a picture. For Arbus, “auguries”—as in “Auguries of Innocence,” her 1963 photographic spread in Harper’s Bazaar—conveyed the idea that whoever was present in her photograph could attain legendary status.
RELATED EXHIBITIONS
EXHIBITIONS. Diane Arbus: In the Beginning. SFMOMA. Jan. 21 - April 30, 2017 | LITTLE MAGAZINE
Diane Arbus' Jack Dracula at a Bar, New London, CT, 1961 You know it really is totally fantastic that we look like this, and you sometimes see that very
RELATED DIANE ARBUS VIDEOS
Masters of Photography: Diane Arbus, 1972 by John Musilli
CBS News’ John Dickerson speaks with Neil Selkirk, steward of Diane Arbus’ photographic prints and negatives, on Diane Arbus: Constellation at New York’s Park Avenue Armory (Aug. 2025).
Author: ALoveLettertoArt
