The de Young Museum Revisited
THE UPPER LEVEL GALLERIES
The arts of the Pacific islands, represented by the outstanding Jolika collection of art from New Guinea, are exhibited in the east galleries on the upper level. Galleries for the arts of Africa are on the opposite side of this finger. The floor, walls, and ceilings of Sydney Blue Eucalyptus have a warm tone, and space flows freely around the progression of free-standing vitrines which, along with the wall showcases, exhibit the artworks.
A diagonal gallery leads to the north galleries where temporary exhibitions of textiles and costumes take place. The museum’s textile collection and its study and conservation departments are housed here.
The contrast between the ethnic arts galleries on the east end and those for the 18th and 19th century American art collections on the west end is appropriately dramatic. Jacques Herzog has described the galleries as “classical” in that their smaller dimensions help to convey the impression of the private homes for which the artworks were originally conceived. Grouped together in a rectangular block rather than aligned they invite circulation among them.
At the west end of the upper floor a separate lounge area with a bench along one side gives people an opportunity to rest while contemplating the sculpture garden below and the Japanese Tea Garden beyond it. The view is directed downward by the roof’s cantilevered section, the innards of which are also visible from the lounge. In this writer’s opinion this is the best place to appreciate the cantilever’s purpose because from a distance it often suggests the unfair derogatory image of the garage door stuck half open.
