San Francisco Murals

Butta Fly Mural by Maxx Moses, 2012 (corner of Shipley & 5th St, SoMa)

I love San Francisco.

One of many, many reasons I love this town is the art. We have many acclaimed museums and galleries featuring established and emerging artists from around the world. There is an exhibition to suit everyone's cultural palate.

However, the art I love most is free, outdoors and available to everyone.

San Francisco's city walls are quickly becoming an extensive outdoor art gallery. Visible from highways, busy streets and tiny hidden alleys, murals are popping up everywhere. San Francisco has had a long relationship with street art, some murals date back to the early 1930s when the Mexican mural movement brought prominence to murals as social and political tools. As such, these works often depict powerful commentary on current events. A walking tour will provide a visual history lesson of the bay area's past, from California's farm labor disputes to Mexican immigrant solidarity.

Murals are more than a window into the past. They have been embraced by graffiti artists as a medium to showcase their work. Once viewed as an act of vandalism, graffiti has gained popularity and legitimization and is now viewed as avant garde by the art world. Many works by well-known graffiti artists such as Banksy can be seen throughout the city.  

There are over 600 murals in San Francisco. Each with a message and style all its own. They beautify our city, offering insightful artwork to those who don't or can't visit museums and galleries. They unify communities and inspire dialogue. The mural movement is alive and well and I hope it continues to thrive.