California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Description

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor was founded by Adolph B. and Alma de Bretteville Spreckels in 1924. The building is a replica of the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur in Paris, inspired by the French pavilion at the 1915 International Exposition. Alma wanted the museum to exhibit French works of art. She therefore took it upon herself to travel to France on numerous occasions to acquire new pieces for the collection. In 1972 the museum merged with the Young Museum to form the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Among the works from Castile and Leon housed in the museum are the Birth of Christ and the Annunciationby the Master of the Catholic Monarchs.