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Cartoon Art Museum Closes (for Now)

Published: August 1, 2026 1 minute 5 comments
Cartoon Art Museum Logo

The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco will close its Beach Street space tomorrow. The museum has opted not to renew its lease. A future location is still in question.

From their announcement:

We make this announcement with deep appreciation for the extraordinary support the community has given the museum. For nearly 42 years, our Board, staff, artists, members, donors and visitors have championed cartoon art and helped create a supportive environment for its creation and appreciation.

In the announcement, they cite that the museum “have faced significant challenges, including the pandemic and the slow recovery that followed.” While no new venue has been announced, they say they will take “time to regroup and determining what the next chapter of the Cartoon Art Museum should be.”

The Cartoon Art Museum first opened in 1984. In 1987 Charles M. Schulz funded the museum’s endowment allowing it to open it’s first venue in downtown San Francisco. It moved three times since landing on Beach Street in 2017. The space offered visitors 8,000 square feet gallery space, a screening area, education space, store, library and collections facility. Cartoon Art Museum reports they have over 9,000 original pieces in their collection.

Visit their website to see their favorite memories of the Beach Street location.

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Comments 5

  1. The museum will return. They just have to pivot as everyone in the world does. I look forward to its resurrection.

  2. I can imagine that the Fisherman’s Wharf spot might have been a good place to net tourists from around the world, but not wanting to wade into the midst of all that myself this was the one among their locations I never made it into.

  3. Unfortunately CAM moved into what appeared to be a very desirable location near Fishermen’s Wharf just before covid arrived . SF tourism was devastated; many nearby restaurants and shops disappeared. CAM preservered with some great exhibitions despite funding and staffing problems. Although the area has been recovering, tourism is still down and the west end of the district where CAM is located has been plagued with a reputation for car breakins. I don’t know what the future will bring, but a more economical location would be advisable. Perhaps in the “Dogpatch” area which several other art and design institutions have made their home. Al Capp would be proud.

  4. Dang, was hoping to finally make it there in the next month or two. Prolly would’ve gone sooner if we’d had more notice on this. Hope they find a good new home soon!

  5. Yeah this is one of those places I wanted to visit someday (I don’t live in the West Coast, alas).

    Part of me wonders if the recent thing with Andrew Farago played a role with this, but it might have happened even without his dismissal.

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