A little more than a decade after opening her gallery, in a cozy basement in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco, dealer Jessica Silverman has earned a devoted following among curators, critics, and collectors for her choice mixture of storied, established artists (feminist Judy Chicago, filmmaker Isaac Julien) and venturesome emerging ones, like the experimental photographer John Houck and Sean Raspet, whose work often involves chemistry and scent. For art fans, no visit to the city is complete without a stop by her gallery, located since 2013 in a handsome, light-filled space in the Tenderloin, where a solo show by the Los Angeles artist Dashiell Manley is on view through February 29. This week, Silverman will present work by Hugh Scott-Douglas, Davina Semo, and others at the FOG Design+Art fair at Fort Mason, which runs concurrently with Untitled on Pier 35 in the Embarcadero. For those descending on the Bay Area, we asked the dealer to recommend places and exhibitions to visit—the sort of tips she might give to a trusted friend or colleague. Her suggestions, which range from one of the country’s great bookstores to a pioneering, now-classic local restaurant, follow below.
Art Dealer Jessica Silverman’s Tip Sheet for FOG Design+Art Week, from Key Shows to Classic Restaurants
In need of a cocktail or a bookstore in San Francisco during FOG week? The revered gallery owner shares her suggestions.
The Editors
January 15, 2020
Jessica Silverman; a piece by Davina Semo, an artist she is showing at FOG.
(Photo of Silverman by Drew Altizer. Photos courtesy of Jessica Silverman Gallery)
Favorite Cafe
20th Century Cafe
Bar
Moongate Lounge
Cold Drinks
Design Showroom
Almond & Company
De Angelis 573 Valencia Street
Too-Little-Known Museum
Musée Mécanique on Pier 39
Must-See Exhibition
“Michael Jang’s California” at the McEvoy Foundation for the Arts
(on view through January 18)
(Installation view, Michael Jang’s California, McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, San Francisco. Photo by Henrik Kam)
Live Event to Catch This Week
Ali Wong on January 19 at The Masonic
Favorite Bookstore
City Lights
Favorite Store
The Ferry Building: Amazing renovation of a historic building with beautifully curated food and craft shops.
Classic Lunch Spot
Zuni Café: Best lunch ever!
Hotel
Hotel Kabuki or anything on Nob Hill (The Fairmont or The Huntington).
Must-See Exhibition
“Soft Power,” curated by Eungie Joo, at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
(on view through February 17)
(On view clockwise from left) Tavares Strachan, Henrietta Lacks, 2013. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Tom Powel Imaging; Nikhil Chopra, Drawing a Line through Landscape (Part 2: On the Road), 2017. Courtesy of the artist, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, and GALLERIA CONTINUA, San Gimignano / Les Moulins / Beijing / Havana. Photo: Madhavi Gore; Tanya Lukin Linklater with Liz Lott, The treaty is in the body, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Winnipeg Art Gallery / © Tanya Lukin Linklater.
Intriguing Public Space
The back alleys of Chinatown
Amazing Art-Historical Location
Keith Haring’s AIDS Interfaith Memorial Chapel at Grace Cathedral
Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurant
Delicious Dim Sum in Chinatown 752 Jackson Street
Favorite Celebratory Dinner
SingleThread Farms Restaurant in Healdsburg