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SFMOMA Adds Substanially to Photography Collection
14 July 2026
SFMOMA ha acquired over 90 works of modern and contemporary art, substantively adding to its extensive photography holdings with works by Alejandro Cartagena, Rahim Fortune, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Tania Franco Klein, Justine Kurland, Danny Lyon, Hiroshi Nomura, Joseph Rodriguez, Malick Sidibé and Toshiya Watanabe.
Among the highlights, SFMOMA noted two major photographic acquisitions:
GOLDBERG'S 'RAISED BY WOLVES'
Jim Goldberg's Destiny's Shiny Bracelet (1989, printed 1990s) and 23 additional works from his pioneering 1995 exhibition, Raised by Wolves, which was shown at SFMOMA in 1997 and has inspired generations of artists.
The project, which Goldberg has called a "completely true work of fiction," depicts young people living on the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles. It was made over the course of 10 years and follows a large cohort of intersecting subjects as they navigate the margins, using drugs, engaging in prostitution, falling in and out of love, having babies and suffering abuse, violence and neglect.
These 24 photographs are the first from Goldberg's seminal series to be acquired by the museum. Included among the photographs is a large-scale vintage gelatin silver print of Destiny's Shiny Bracelet, a heartbreaking picture of a radiant young woman with a faraway stare.
The addition of these works by Goldberg, one of the most highly respected and influential artists in California, is consistent with the museum's goals to collect the work of important local artists.
CARTAGENA'S 'WITHOUT WALLS'
Alejandro Cartagena's Mother #33 and Daughter #34, from the series Without Walls (2017, printed 2026), the final chapter of his trilogy about the border.
Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and based in Monterrey, Mexico, Alejandro Cartagena has spent more than two decades examining the social, economic and environmental conditions shaping life in northeastern Mexico.
Made at Friendship Park between San Diego and Tijuana, the two photographs portray a mother, who is located in Mexico, and her daughter, who is in the United States. The two have met at the site each month for 10 years, with the photographs capturing their positions on opposite sides of the metal barrier.
Mother #33 enters the collection through purchase and Daughter #34 has been gifted to the museum by three generous donors.
The acquisitions follow the artist's recent mid-career retrospective at SFMOMA, Ground Rules, which offered a comprehensive view of his wide-ranging, dynamic practice. These works add a fourth body of Cartagena's work to SFMOMA's collection, bringing the museum's holdings to 25 photographs by the artist.