The SAMA is a fairly young museum, having first opened its doors to the public in 1981, in the renovated historic Lone Star Brewery buildings. Its collections are diverse and ambitious, starting with its pre-Columbian, Spanish Colonial, and Latin American folk art, which the museum focused on from its outset.
The museum has since developed a comprehensive collection of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art; Asian art; one of the largest collections of western antiquities in the south; as well as eighteenth- through twentieth-century American and European paintings, photography, sculpture, and decorative arts. The permanent collection exhibitions are supplemented by special exhibitions; examples are an exhibition of psychedelic art from the Op Art of the early 1960s to the present, and a four-part seasonal yearlong exploration of Taiso Yoshitoshi’s woodblock prints.
San Antonio Museum of Art Information
- Public Transportation: Accessible by Via #7 bus
- Handicapped Accessibility: Yes
- Hours: Tuesday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-6 p.m.; closed Mondays; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, and Fiesta Friday.
- Admission: $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (65+), $5 for students and active military, and $3 for children (4-11). Free admission for members and children 3 and under.
- Free Days: General admission is free to the public every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Subscription/Memberships: Memberships begin at $45 for individuals and $75 for families; only $35 for seniors, working artists, and educators. Member benefits include unlimited free admission, invitations to members-only exhibition previews, and 10% discount on Museum Store purchases.
