Our Sodaro South Wing is currently CLOSED as we make way for new exhibitions coming soon. Our North Wing remains open with several exciting shows currently on view. Please visit our Current Exhibitions page for more details.

Make your reservations to explore the Hilbert Museum’s expansive home for California narrative art. Visitors will discover a striking two-building ensemble with 26 galleries showcasing rotating selections from the growing Hilbert Collection of more than 5,000 oils, watercolors, illustrations, drawings, animation art, movie production art and more.

Founded through the ongoing generosity of art patrons and philanthropists Mark and Janet Hilbert, the museum remains the only museum in the world dedicated to tracing the rich visual history of the Golden State from the late 1800s to today through the works of California Scene painters, illustrators, Hollywood studio artists and animators.

At the heart of the museum is a celebration of narrative art — art that tells a story. Whether capturing a fleeting moment or unfolding a larger human experience, narrative art invites viewers into scenes filled with recognizable people, places, movement and emotion. That spirit of storytelling is central to the Hilbert Museum experience. As co-founder Mark Hilbert put it, California has “its own light, its own distinct landscape,” and the works in the collection reveal far more than scenery. They capture everyday life across a constantly evolving state: bustling towns, quiet harbors, family homes, farms, highways, trains and the people shaping California’s story across generations.