An impressive Neoclassical Beaux-Arts building in a stunning setting, the California Palace of Legion of Honor is the most beautiful museum in San Francisco. The Legion of Honor is a gift from socialite, philanthropist, and art patron Alma de Bretteville Spreckels. Because of his love for all things Parisian, this museum was designed as a replica of the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur in Paris. The Legion of Honor Museum has an incredible collection of European art, sculptures and decorative paintings, along with antiques from the Mediterranean and the Near East.
The museum is in Lincoln Park, a beautiful green space with a golf course and coastal forest and a beautiful place to take a leisurely stroll. Just outside the museum, visitors can follow the road along the Lincoln Highway, which offers spectacular ocean views and perfect views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Those looking for more adventurous hikes can head to the Land's End Trail. The winding cliff trail in this wild and heavy area offers views of the Pacific Ocean and panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The museum is in Lincoln Park, a beautiful green space with a golf course and coastal forest and a beautiful place to take a leisurely stroll. Just outside the museum, visitors can follow the road along the Lincoln Highway, which offers spectacular ocean views and perfect views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Those looking for more adventurous hikes can head to the Land's End Trail. The winding cliff trail in this wild and heavy area offers views of the Pacific Ocean and panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
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| Legion of Honor is the Most Beautiful Museum in San Francisco |
The Honorary Legion in San Francisco holds many special shows, some with works visiting other museums, and some put together from their own collections. They often hold lectures and musical performances (free with entries) related to their special exhibitions as well. The San Francisco Legion of Honor Museum has a vast collection of European paintings, sculptures and ceramics from the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century, as well as artifacts from ancient Egypt, Assyria, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome. The Legion of Honor has a large collection of Rodin statues, including "The Kiss" and "The Three Shadows", and of course, "The Thinker".
These three works are independent cast characters originally from The Gates of Hell, a large 20-foot statue located in the Orsay Museum in Paris, with casts in a number of other locations, including Stanford University. Organ concerts are free on Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00 a.m. at the Rodin Gallery. The organ is a 1924 Skinner organ, and 4,500 pipes hidden behind a painted canvas ceiling to look like marble. More pipes are hidden in other areas of the museum.
The organ is designed to mimic the sounds of various orchestral instruments, including percussion. There is another Skinner organ at the National Cathedral in Washington D. C. Full-scale classical music concerts are occasionally given at the museum. I went to one by Philharmonia Baroque there ... beautiful music, beautiful settings and easy parking! The work depicts scenes from Dante's Inferno. Initially, "The Thinker" might have represented Dante, reflecting on the fate of humanity in his Divine Comedy (some believe it was intended to be Rodin, or Adam).