James Turrell’s Three Gems

James Turrell is an artist that I have appreciated for a long time. He experiments with shape and color in beautifully simplistic, but technically complex art installations.

I’ve seen a few of his works in museums (Into the Light at Pittsburgh’s Mattress Factory and Mohl Ip at the Phoenix Art Museum come to mind first) and have had his Skyspace at the Chestnut Hill Friends Quaker Meeting House on my to-do list forever. Little did I know that I would accidentally encounter one of his installations in San Francisco!

The DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park houses Three Gems, a work by James Turrell installed in 2005.

This work is hidden under a grass-covered hill in the yard of the DeYoung. Visitors enter along a dark pathway, nestled in vegetation, to a sunken structure with curvy walls, robust pink concrete, and dramatic plays of light and shadow. A pink outer circle surrounds the white inner circle which has a domed roof, oculus, and seating.

It is a beautiful space where you can concentrate on the simplicities of sun and shade and enjoy the acoustics of a concrete vaulted cylinder. I recommend touring the museum and then stopping by this work before you leave, depending on the weather. If you can stop by a bit before dusk, even better. You can see how the piece transforms with the time of day. Spend time walking around, sitting down, and enjoying the solitude of the space.