First Wednesday Art Talk – Legion of Honor Turns 100 – Origins, Architecture, and Inaugural Art

Posted by bonnie on 24 May 2024

The Legion of Honor Turns 100 – Origins, Architecture, and Inaugural Art

2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Legion of Honor, home to one of the world’s outstanding collections of Rodin sculpture and European art. The Legion of Honor owes its existence to the vision of enterprising San Franciscan Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, who set out to build a museum to showcase French art and dedicated to the California men who died in France during World War I. This talk tells the fascinating story of how the museum was modeled after the Legion of Honor in Paris and would come to be built on a hill with a breathtaking view of the San Francisco Bay. Featuring a treasure trove of historic images, the talk highlights some of the building’s beautiful original architectural features as well as renovations undertaken over the past 100 years. The Legion of Honor’s moving inaugural ceremonies of 1924 and the art objects that were on display in the galleries on opening day will also be discussed in this exploration of an important chapter of San Francisco history.

FAMSF Docent: Virginia Ernster

First Wednesday Art Talks are provided by the Friends of the San Rafael Libraries