5 Spaces for Contemplation at the Legion of Honor

By Isabella Goldberg, facilities administrative coordinator

August 24, 2023

Sculpture of a man with his head resting on his fist in Legion of Honor courtyard

Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker as seen in the Legion Court of Honor. Photograph by Randy Dodson, © Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Whether you need a break from the museum or just want to spend time with some sculptures in a park, here are a few (free) spaces where you can rest and recharge.

1. Mark di Suvero sculpture

Sculpture by Mark di Suvero in the Legion of Honor sculpture garden

Mark di Suvero, Pax Jerusalemme, 1998–1999. Painted steel, 300 x 540 x 240 in. (762 x 1371.6 x 609.6 cm) 11 tons. Museum purchase, Roscoe and Margaret Oakes Income Fund, 2000.43. Photograph by Randy Dodson, ©️ the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

At the top of the hill, Pax Jerusalemme (1998 – 1999) by Mark di Suvero is a bright-red steel sculpture in the parking lot across from the entrance of the Legion of Honor. Reflect on the abstract form juxtaposed against the otherwise organic landscape, and notice how art can fill and change a space. The water in the neighboring fountain spouts almost as high as the sculpture itself.

2. Joan of Arc and El Cid Campeador

statue of a El Cid Campeador on a horse at night

Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington, El Cid Campeador (Ruy Diaz de Bivar, 1040–1099), 1921. Bronze on poured concrete base, 176 3/4 x 74 x 139 3/8 in. (448.9 x 188 x 354 cm). Gift of Herbert Fleishhacker, 1937.11

Guarding the museum, two bronze figures on horseback by Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876 – 1973) flank the front terrace. Sword in hand, the famous patron saint of France, Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) (1915), defends one side of the building while Castilian knight El Cid Campeador (1921) holds his flag high on the other. Take your time to examine the textural details in the carved bronzes and how the materials interact with the natural environment.

3. The Thinker in the Court of Honor

Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker as seen in the Legion Court of Honor. Photograph by Randy Dodson, © Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Need a spot to think? Ponder away in the Court of Honor, along with Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker (1904). The sculpture rests in the middle of the courtyard, while a glass pyramid shines light on the galleries below. Spend time wandering around the columns and marveling at the neoclassical architecture. Modeled after the Palais de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris, the building’s architecture evokes the past, transcending time.

4. Café terrace

people eating on a cafe terrace with a sculpture in the foreground

Legion of Honor museum café, San Francisco, 2022. Photograph by Gary Sexton

Outside the Legion of Honor Café, you’ll find the perfect spot to sip a coffee, recharge, and stumble upon a Rodin framed by captivating scenery. All you need to do is ask for a café sticker from the front desk and head downstairs to visit this charming terrace. Embrace your inner artist with the bronze cast of Claude Lorrain (1992, modeled 1889) that poses the French painter and printmaker holding his palette as if caught in the moment of creation.

5. West end (behind the building)

Only those who wander will get a chance to see all the stunning architecture that makes up the museum. The back of the building is as remarkable as the front arch. Look up and you’ll see statues and busts perched at the top of the dome. Look down, and you may spot poppies, yarrow, or other seasonal flowers in the garden. Cypress trees stretch their branches toward the Golden Gate Bridge. The breathtaking landscape might even inspire you to create some art of your own.