- City:
- San Francisco, CA
- Site Type:
- Murals, Art Works
- New Deal Agencies:
- Arts Programs, Work Relief Programs, Federal Arts Project (FAP), Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1941
- Completed:
- 1941
- Artist:
- Frederick E. Olmstead Jr.
Description
"Theory & Science Mural" 3
Left side of “Theory & Science”
Photo Credit: Gray Brechin
These two 12′ x 8′ tempera fresco murals painted by Frederick Olmsted reside in the front lobby of San Francisco City College’s Science Building over the west entrance stairs.
Two murals depict students engaged in scientific research. Muted earth tones and small brush strokes represent a range of endeavors in the sciences, such as viewing bacteria through a microscope, conducting field research, and excavating dinosaur remains. A restoration was completed in 2002 by CCSF faculty, staff, students, and an independent conservator, bringing these images close to their original state.
(lisa velarde)
"Theory & Science" 2
Right side of “Theory & Science”
Photo Credit: Gray Brechin
Frederick Olmsted (April 10, 1911-February 14, 1990) was born in San Francisco. The grandson of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Olmsted studied science at Stanford and art at the California School of Fine Arts. Olmsted worked in the WPA, assisting John Langley Howard and George Harris in the Coit Tower, creating his own mural on a three-foot panel above the main entrance. He also assisted Diego Rivera with his mural at the Art Institute in San Francisco.
More information can be found in this mini-documentary: https://gringostarr.com/index.php/portfolio/ccsf-main-campus-a-dream-realized/
Source notes
Originally posted in the New Deal Art Registry: https://www.newdealartregistry.org/
https://www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/edison-and-davinci-by-olmsted.html
https://www.lisavelarde.com/CCSFArtGuide/murals.html
https://gringostarr.com/index.php/portfolio/ccsf-main-campus-a-dream-realized/
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Kat Morgan
Rebecca Lamb
After years of being closed to the public, this mural has been on display at the SF Museum of Modern Art for nearly two years. It’s scheduled to be there through March 2024.
His correct name is Frederick E. Olmsted Jr. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. was his cousin who was a landscape designer.