History museums' acquisitions always instill wonder in children who have become bored with their own closet full of skeletons. Discover a body of knowledge with today's Groupon: for $37, you get one household membership to the Contemporary Jewish Museum (a $75 value).
Captivating visitors with innovative exhibitions and programs, the Contemporary Jewish Museum explores modern-day perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. Its latest exhibit, Reclaimed: Paintings from the Collection of Jacques Goudstikker, tells the incredible tale of more than 200 paintings plundered by the Nazis after Goudstikker retreated from the Netherlands during the Holocaust, and how the Goudstikker family eventually recovered them. Along the way, you can tickle your eyeballs with historically significant works of the Dutch Old Masters, as well as Northern European and Italian painters. Otherwise, learn about the husband-and-wife team who created Curious George and fled the Nazi invasion of Paris by bicycle with the original manuscript in hand—or meet a soferet as she completes a year writing out the entire Torah with a feather quill and ignoring audience suggestions for an eleventh commandment. In addition to being among the first to see new exhibitions, a family membership grants unlimited free admission with one free guest per cardholder, early notification of special events and family programs, curator-led exhibition tours, and free or reduced admission to all CJM programs, including film, lectures, music and theatrical performances.
Reviews
CityVoters named the Contemporary Jewish Museum one of the top five museums in San Francisco. Jewlicious enjoyed the variety of modern exhibitions at the museum. More than 100 Yelpers give the Contemporary Jewish Museum an average rating of 3.5 stars.
- The best single thing I love about this lovely museum is its architecture; the structure, which itself is a masterpiece, inspires and intrigues me. – Phillip H., Yelp
Contemporary Jewish Museum
For the past three decades, the Contemporary Jewish Museum has celebrated Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas while remaining constantly relevant. A non-collecting organization, the CJM sparks dialogue and unites people from all walks of life through lectures, classes, films, and constantly rotating exhibitions commonly centered around art. In the past, the CJM has displayed photographs of Allen Ginsberg, trained its lens on the magic of Harry Houdini and the art he inspired, and responded to Hitler's Mein Kampf with artist Linda Ellia's exhibition of 600 pages altered by artists, writers, victims, students, and other Jewish people. More recently, the CJM featured an exhibit on the contribution of Jewish architects, designers, and merchants to creative communities around the US, post-World War II.
Holding all these different facets of culture and design is a building that is itself a work of art. Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the 63,000-square-foot CJM combines the legacy of the historic Jessie Street Power Substation with the dynamic angles and arresting shapes of contemporary architecture. Accompanying its overall shape is a blue metallic exterior and symbolic references to Jewish concepts, such as the Hebrew phrase "L'Chaim," meaning "to life."