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Cantor Arts Center
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Wed. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Fri-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
69 reviews for Cantor Arts Center
Last Sunday was my second visit at Cantor Arts, this time we spent the last half of the museum's closing hour at the Rodin collection.
In awe and speechless, the Spaniard and I stood humbly before the great Thinker of Rodin. The impeccable collection remain as I remembered it, yet the experience was more intense. This time the pieces were familiar items, almost like old friends. The many Balzacs, the Victor Hugo bust, and all the other pieces - filled my soul with joy.
I stil maintain that my favorites are the Thinker and the Eternal Springtime. Yet this time, I was nauseated to look at the latter, for I envisioned that a first kiss with the Spaniard will be my eternal spring, my eternal destiny.
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3/1/2009
This is Palo Alto's best-kept secret.
Three weeks ago I had a coffee with a visiting London geek , a… Read more »
I spent one overcast Sunday afternoon here with a friend and my camera. I remember exploring the Rodin Garden as a high school student years ago but never went inside. This is a great way to spend an afternoon. There's so much to see. I forgot how much I LOVE shooting sculpture, I was in heaven here especially with their extensive Rodin collection. My trigger finger was actually a little sore after spending nearly 3 hours here. We spent so much time exploring the sculpted pieces we had to rush through some the upstairs. I guess that means I have to go back!
Go on a weekend, parking is free and plentiful. Whoo hoo cheap date! A little museum time, a little picnic action ... come on you know you wanna. ;-)
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I am lucky enough to live in bay area. I love visiting this museum and getting inspired by Arts. The collection is nice, and most of the exhibits are interesting. I love the courtyard because you get to enjoy the Rodin sculpture garden. The people who work at the Cantor Arts Center are very helpful plus it's free admission.
Definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in art.
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I'm a big fan. The museum is scenically located in the heart of the Stanford campus. Parking is never a hassle and it's usually empty enough to browse the art without having to breath on someone else. I love the Rodin collection and the rotating collections are creative (a tribute to Leland Stanford Jr., a visiting basket weaver- how cool!). I also really enjoy the adjacent cafe for a quiet snack. Outdoor patio can get very hot and sunny- sit under an umbrella.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this museum. I've been here 3 times and every time I went I felt inspired. There is a variety of sculptures, paintings, and photographs. I personally adore European art, but they also have contemporary art, African, Native American, etc.
& guess what? Admission is FREE!
I rather delight in reading the Sunday Times, strong tea in tow, while sitting among the Rodin sculpture here. Something about the intersection of grandeur, simplicity and sunlight.
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Went again to the Cantor Museum. It's Great cuz it's FREE. We went after our guided tour of Hanna House which is close by.
We didn't stay too long inside the museum though. We saw the exhibit "Timbuktu To Cape Town" on the 2nd floor. I thought it was just ok.
First level is where the Rodin sculptures are. There are more of them so the museum is showing the complete Rodin sculptures. I can't tell which are the ones I didn't see before, but I enjoyed them all. Make sure you go outside for the Rodin sculpture garden - Very cool!
Also, if you have more time don't miss the Outdoor Sculptures at Stanford University. The New Guinea Garden is AWESOME! Get a brochure at the main lobby desk and check it out.
Andy Goldsworthy, Stone River, 2001, is COOL! - close to the Cantor Museum parking lot.
Auguste Rodin, "Burghers of Calais, on the campus - 6 individual bronzes - Cool.
Bathrooms: in the middle of the Main Lobby, Women on Left Side, Men are Right.
Museum hrs:
Wednesday - Sunday 11 am - 5 pm
Thursday 11 am - 8 pm
Parking:
FREE after 4pm and All Weekend! Sweet. Go check it OUT if you haven't been, it's Great.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/25/2007
I love this museum. It doesn't get enough press but it's GREAT and FREE. I don't go here often… Read more »
Wonderful art museum on the Stanford U campus and it is free!
Free parking after 4pm and on the weekends, plenty of parking in the three surrounding parking lots. The Rodin outdoor sculpture gardens is overlooked by the cafe.
Went on the 11:30am Rodin tour on Sunday, they have a 200 piece exhibit inside right now and to hear of his background, style and interests is very interesting.
Two stories, changing exhibits, got to see some Warhol this time. Plan to spend a couple of hours when you take a tour. An hour for the tour and an hour to go back through the museum. There is a general tour of the whole museum at 1pm on Sundays too.
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This is the only museum that makes me teary eyed every time I visit it because of the connection to Leland Stanford Jr., the only son of Leland and Jane Stanford, who died of typhoid fever at the age of 15 in 1884. I get teary eyed whenever I see a black squirrel on campus. According to the school legend, Leland Jr. brought the original pair back from Europe, and they were released after his death.
The museum first opened in 1894, three years after the founding of Stanford University. The architecture of the museum matches that of the buildings in the Main Quad and museum building is also made out of sandstone.
My favorite part of the museum is the Stanford Family Room, where you can view the personal belongings and portraits of Leland Sr. (including his cane and sword), Jane (including a painting of her jewelry collection and velvet slippers) and Leland Jr. (including his death mask and program from his funeral). You can feel the love and anguish of his parents when you see the death mask and the precious objects from his childhood.
I also like the size of the Cantor. It's good for a 2-3 hour visit and has a little bit of everything, objects from all over the world (Asia, Oceania, Ancient Mediterranean, Africa, Europe, America, Native America) and from antiquity to modern day. Some of the standout items (in my opinion) are the Rodin collection, suit of Japanese armor, large collection of Native American woven baskets, totem poles, Alexander Calder mobiles, and the Warhol collection. Some of these paintings are like old friends - I've seen them many times.
Don't forget to visit the Rodin Sculpture Garden outside. I prefer to view the Gates of Hell at night. The garden is illuminated at night. If you have time, walk over to the Main Quad to see some additional Rodin sculptures.
The Cool Café is actually quite good with its emphasis on local, organic, seasonal ingredients.
Parking is $1 for 1 hour or if you want, park on El Camino for free and walk over (it should take 10 to 15 minutes).
I'm amazed that the museum is FREE.
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If you haven't yet found a reason to get yourself over to the Cantor Arts Center here's a couple, it now houses the largest Rodin collection outside of Paris. The exhibit allows an up close look at Rodin's amazing work.
The pop culture exhibit is also a lot of fun and so creative that it becomes a challenge at one point to discern art from reality. I won't blow the surprise veiled in that statement but I will tell you that it will blow your mind! Now you have more than one reason to visit Cantor today.
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7/4/2008
I feel very lucky to have the Cantor Arts Center just a short walk from the office I work in. What… Read more »
Free admission, even though they take donations.
Free parking after 4PM on weekdays and all day on weekends.
This art museum is pretty big upstairs and downstairs and they got a cool little souvenir shop too.
I had to go here a couple of times during college for my Art History classes that I took. A lot better and bigger and nicer and everything than SCU's crappy, small, and free de Saisset Art Museum that no one even knows about.
They have different periods of art work from different areas of the world in each of their exhibit rooms.
I remember I went here when I broke my right wrist, so I couldn't write and had to use a voice recorder so I could type out what was on the description on a piece of artwork later for when I had to write out a comparison paper and some elementary school kids were all like "Wow! Are you a teacher here?" And I just laughed and said no.
Minus 1 star for those annoying ushers who walk around and tell you that you have to use a pencil when writing down notes and not a pen. They even told me once that I had to use one of their small golf pencils and that I couldn't even use a mechanical pencil. What a bunch of anal douche bags!
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How come no one told me about this place before??? I guess not many yelpers go to museums? Well, I do!! And I always see it advertised in the Metro paper!
I love this museum! I feel that the Cantor Art Center the biggest and nicest one (unless you're going to SF) in the south bay. We went on the weekend (free parking! yay!)!! We made it in time for their 2pm docent tour! I'm really glad I went on it because it was my first time visiting the museum and the docent explained a lot about the history of the museum and the Stanford family!
Love the current exhibit: Durer to Picasso! And the Rodin sculptures (though their other part of the gallery is under construction... come back later when it reopens)! The museum was HUGE because we spent way over 3 hours and still weren't able to see everything there!!
Oops, and yes, most importantly... it's FREE!!! weeeee :D
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I liked this museum better than the much more hyped DeYoung in SF. It's worth the trek from SF/Berkeley/Oakland, especially if you combine it with a picture-perfect day on the Stanford campus or in downtown Palo Alto.
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This review is obviously biased-- my bf and I had our first date here, so I can't give this place any fewer stars. As the story goes, we were both students, and he wanted to subtly impress me by showing me his work (in the museum! it was in the closet-esque space hidden in the corner where they often show student work, but anywaaaays I was smitten). Somewhere between the Rodin sculptures and the Gates of Hell, we fell in love.
The details: free admission! free parking on weekends typical of Palo Alto sprawl! Check in your bag for 25 cents (fully refundable). Be sure to catch some of the free theater performances in the spring.
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Step inside the Cantor Art Museum for half an hour and step out feeling cultured, refined, and even a little snobby.
Have a thing for bronze sculptures, the Thinker, and naked male torsos? Check out the permanent Auguste Rodin exhibit. The Gates of Hell will blow you away guaranteed!
The Cantor also displays featured exhibits every several months. Current exhibit called "I Survived the Hurricane" features orignal Picasso's and Pollacks!
-1 star for the security guards who can lighten up a little bit. For God sakes people you ARE NOT the U.S. Secret Service.
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Even as I grew accustomed to Rodin's sculpture garden being on my front doorstep, I never took this corner of campus for granted.
Cantor Arts Center is blessed with one of only four casts of many Rodin sculptures. Their collection rivals that of Paris' own Musee Rodin (the artist's home, subsequently converted) but, unlike Paris, has the privilege of displaying his casts in the gorgeous California sunshine.
They have some nice pieces in the permanent collection, and always bring over interesting exhibitions - the Richard Avedon show from a year ago jumps to mind as absolutely stellar. Loved, still love this arts center and am a better human being for my regular visits. Nice cafe too.
The best Free art museum within driving distance i've had the chance to visit. Discovered this years ago when i took an art history course at a local cc. I need to revisit asap, as staring at and getting in lost in beautiful paintings is THE therapeutic experience i've been craving lately.
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Had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised,especially with the upper floor and it's 20th century offerings. You are allowed to take pictures, which is unusual for a museum of this caliber. (The Stanford campus is a work of art as well) .
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The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University turned out to be an amazing museum to visit and see all the great collections and exhibitions. Admission is free and the place is larger than what I had expected from a museum situated on a university campus.
The Cantor Arts Center has a diverse collection of artifacts, paintings, and sculptures spanning many continents, cultures and about 4000 years.
If the museum itself is not enough, outside is the spectular Rodin Sculpture Garden. Here you will find Auguste Rodin's great bronze works such as The Thinker and The Gates of Hell as well as many others.
This museum is definitely a hidden gem here in the Bay Area!
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I've been her twice already and I feel that you could keep coming back to discover things you didn't know before.
My boyfriend and I decided to visit yesterday because they have the special exhibit "Saved From the Storm" until October 4 and we wanted to see it before it went away. We took two docent led tours yesterday, one for the Center and one specifically for the "Saved From the Storm" exhibit.
The tours were very well led and extremely informative.
Did you know that the largest piece of art at the museum is on the outside?
Didn't know that until yesterday!
We only looked at a total of 3 exhibits, so we definitely have more to look forward to on our rainy day visits...
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One word: FREE.
The is, by far, the best hidden gem in the Bay Area. To have a museum with a no admission - of this caliber - is amazing. The exhibitions are impressive - especially the one last year from Tuareg. And the Rodin collection is the largest outside of France! Since most of the Rodin sculptures are outside, you don't have to be there when the museum is open to enjoy his work...including the impressive Hell's Gate.
Also, and these probably deserve their own reviews, the museum shop and the cafe are first class.
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i have been here once before due to an art class i was taking. i went here today, but this time just to go and check out the place without having any pressures of writing and taking pictures of things for a paper. that part was really nice!
i love museums of any sort! this museum is located right on the grounds of the stanford campus. if you come to visit on a weekday before 4pm, make sure you park in VISITOR PARKING. you will get a ticket! the machine where you buy parking day passes accept credit cards! so if you dont have any cash, use it!
inside the museum, they have everything from oil canvas paintings of everything you can think of. from landscapes, to portraits, to blown glass, to marble sculptures. they have a nice exhibit of the ohlone tribe woven baskets and figures.
i especially liked the first exhibit you see if you enter the galleries through the first floor. they display the entire stanford family and it narrates a story of how the Stanford family created their socalled "empire" here in palo alto.
my favorite exhibit is the Andy Warhol displays. color everywhere! very modern! it is truly a must see =)
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Great for a weekend tour. I visited for an art history class and chose the "Gates of Hell" to research. The book store also offered good materials on the exhibits in the arts center.
Bring a lunch and hang out next to the naked statues at the Rodin Garden. If you are into decapitation and missing body parts, this is very interesting... I particularly like the booty sculptures. What can I say, I like Big Butts. As you can see, I am more of a "Call it as you see it" type cultural person.
In all honesty, I like cruising to Stanford because it is like it's own culture and city within a city. The Rodin Garden is pretty trippy, especially with the Gates of Hell sculpture. Try to check that one out at night, kinda freaky... BOOO!
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Stanford's Cantor Arts Center is just amazing. You, and I mean you, have to take the drive down to Stanford University and spend a day here. If I've helped you at all over my past 4 days of early yelping, this would be my most solemn review so far.
I fell into this place one day while driving around Stanford and am so glad that I did. It is one room filled with fantastic arts and history after another and all for free. FREE I tell ya. No charge. Nada, Zip. Squat. Bupkis!
All of the other reviews of the Cantor on yelp are correct, it is wonderful for family and friends with great food and outdoor seating to sit and relax. If you are hungry after all of the seeing and doing and observing, they have provided an expensive, but centrally-located cafe full of cakes, sandwiches, coffee and drinks of all shapes and sizes. YUMMO! Food for the mind and food for the stomach. What a combo.
The parking however is really, really, really, really, really, really bad. Especially on nice days. And if you are lucky enough to get parking you have to remember to keep the meter fed because Stanford loves to give tickets. Did I say that the parking was bad? Well it is, so be prepared mentally for that.
It is also pretty hard to find without help. All I can say is go to Stanford and ask around until you get pointed in the right direction. It is kind of close to the Main Quad.
Take a date here. She"ll/He'll think you are a brained, fully-cultured individual who caters to the arts and crafts of the world's many peoples. And it's also free for you tightwads which will give you more cash to spend on her/him later.
I'd glad to say that the Cantor Arts Center is still a great place to see great exhibitions. I recently just revisited this place and was very satisfied viewing the New Orleans "Spared from the Storm" exhibition. If you're close by I would recommend stopping by.
One thing I couldn't avoid was field trip of people ranging from kids to adults. They all seemed like they were in the same class because they were all holding the same papers. Whoever was in charge of this group clearly did not inform this group on how to act in a museum. Kids running this way and that, kids walking right in front of you while you're looking at something, and kids so loud that I could hear who was the "cutey" of the day.
Cantor Arts Center is still free. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The downside is that I could not find any free parking areas at all. They've installed these new machines that charge by the minute. I guess they realized that they could milk visitors in different ways.
I found coin meter parking at a nearby garage. Every quarter is ten cents. I didn't have immediate change on me so I asked the parking attendant, who was writing a parking ticket, if there was a coin machine. He vaguely pointed me a change machine somewhere off in the distance.
After paying for an hour, the parking attendant notified me that there was an open space which had a prepaid coin meter for an hour. Oh thanks a lot! Lol. Needlessly, I had a good laugh and thanked the man anyways.
NOTE: I don't know how the parking meters in front of the museum charge. The ones in the garage do it by the minute, hopefully the museum ones do it as day passes.
Keep in mind that there are two museum parking machines. One of them is currently out of order so you'll have to walk a good distance to get to the other one.
___
Still a great FREE museum. Cantor's strengths are its world class exhibitions and outside sculpture garden. The area is very beautiful on lazy sunny days. Its permanent collection is great if you haven't viewed it yet. Parking is however, not free. This really pulls away from the museum experience because instead of admiring the artwork, you'll be admiring your watch.
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4/11/2008
It's permanent collection isn't super huge, but what it does have is pretty interesting.
Their main… Read more »
This was my second trip to the museum.
Who doesn't love a class trip to the museum.
Anything to get me out of class.
I love the modern art section and the Rodin display outside.
I also really enjoyed "Works on paper: Prints , Drawings and Photographs."
The price is fantastic: FREE
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This review is really about the outdoor Rodin Sculpture Garden.
Right next door to the eminently kid-friendly Cool Cafe, this is a free outdoor sculpture garden full of full-size bronze sculptures from the famous French sculptor Rodin. Here you have The Gates of Hell and many other bronze busts and lifelike human sculptures.
I'm no art historian, but I can tell you that this is a lovely setting and a great place for a casual stroll with a close friend, or simply a place to sit and reflect on the world. If you are a writer or artist yourself, consider coming here for some creative inspiration and some always interesting people watching.
While you're here, you may as well go inside the museum, and see the cool banana sculpture in the inside courtyard of the museum. Very 70s retro cool.
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While still going to community college, I took an Art Appreciation class that's grade was based soley (or about 85%) on attending the class field trips. Finally, a GOOD class!
One of the most memorable trips was to the Cantor Arts Center/Rodin Sculpture Garden. It was unreal. It's hard to believe that someone could come up with some of these things, let alone turn them into a reality (e.g. the enormous "The Gates of Hell", etc).
I left with a feeling of awe and a newfound love of art museums. I really enjoyed touring the place with my class, but I couldn't wait to be left alone to admire everything. Sitting outside on a bench near the Sculpture Garden, I felt the need for a coffee, a book, my glasses, or even just a cigarette *and I don't even smoke*...this place is just THAT cool.
Bonus: It's free! Well...except for parking.
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This year I saw a collection impressionist painters. Last year was the post Katrina traveling Louisiana collection. They were both wonderful. My everyday favorite is the Rodin - of course.
You must go. It is free, it is compact and the collection is great. A perfect way to feel good on a gloomy day.
If you are looking to do a day trip of palo alto, read on :
http://locomotoring.ne...
I enjoy the outdoor exhibits, especially that cute pink blob in the center courtyard, the most. HKB proposed to me near the Rodin Sculpture Garden, so the staff gladly helped him to orchestrate all the logistics. It's free, and they're open late on Thursday nights.
The Cantor Arts Center was my fav resting spot from roller blading or walking on the campus.
The museum is FREE and is often changing the exhibition, so it was always pleasing to go into find something new, old or interesting if they are not beautiful or grotesque.
It's almost permanent collection of Greek, Egyptian, Native American and Asian art collections are as good as the special exhibit too.
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Came here not even knowing there was a museum on the campus. A friend and I came to see the serpent shaped rock wall which was mentioned in the AAA magazine.
We parked the car and was very surprised to the museum there. It was free. You can make a donation. They had a nice collection and the place was much larger than we had expected. Listened in on one of the tour guides and she appeared to be very knowledgeable. (We got there a little late) I'm not an art aficionado but this place had a just enough of everything to keep my attention.
The place was a pleasant surprise
The Cantor Arts Center is a wonderful place to wander around in and forget your worries for a few minutes. It's free and beautiful, especially on a nice sunny day. Take a stroll outside in the Rodin garden or step inside and discover some amazing art work. The museum also has a wonderful little cafe that over looks the garden. The cafe serves wonderfully prepared and all organic food and beverages. You will love this place!
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I am a Cal alum (shhhhhh....don't tell anyone), but one of my best friends has a husband who is a Stanford alum. Of course, on our way to visit him we would stop by the Rodin sculpture garden and enjoy the beautiful replicas of his great works.
I have never been inside to the museum itself, but do appreciate the gorgeous outside area to walk and enjoy the art for free.
A great way to spend a nice sunny day...pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the day with a friend or a loved one.
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Even though this museum is at Stanford (hiss) it is worth checking out if you live on the 'slua.
If you're not expecting it, and even if you are, when you find "The Thinker" here and recognize the room from PBS shows you'll probably s*** your pants. Yes, it's the real sculpture.
Aside from that, the museum's collection is pretty random. You'll find hyper realistic European paintings alongside suits of samurai armor. They had a modern art exhibit when I was there and thankfully it looks like they rotate the downstairs displays pretty frequently except for the ass kissing Stanford bologna.
So, I'll admit, I'm a little biased here. Cantor actually screened one of my short films last year as a part of their Student Arts Party, so of course I think they have fantastic taste in artistic selection ;)
But that aside, this is a great little museum to sneak off to in the middle of the day when bored with lab/classes. The interior architecture is deliciously decadent, and the Rodin sculpture garden is beautiful. I especially love the line of cypress trees that bisect the garden.
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Note: I shall expand this review once I've stepped inside the Cantor Building itself. For now, however, I'm so blown away by the Rodin Sculpture Garden I'll just write about that.
It is a rare place in the United States where one can stroll casually up to bronze casts by one of the world's greatest artists. I highly recommend leaving the Adam and Eve and the Gates of Hell for last, though it is tempting to skip the meat and veggies and head straight for the eternal dessert.
It is apparent that Rodin studied his form extensively--and you can tell one a mile away. I grew up in Atlanta where at the High Museum of Art there has been a Rodin bronze for quite some time. From childhood, field trips provide a familiarity with his sense of scale and the massive hands and forearms of his subjects.
Today I stood in front of the towering portal of The Gates of Hell and thought about the lousy state of religious fundamentalism in the world and in our country.
Contrast Rodin's artistic expression of eternal hellfire and blabbermouth threats from America's great televangelists and you'll mourn the decline of popular artistic expression.
Then again, Tammy Faye Bakker used her face as a canvas and painted with great oily daubs. All is not lost.
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I love to wander through the Rodin sculpture garden. I often tell people that if you can stand in front of the Gates of Hell and not be moved you have no soul and I really don't think we can be friends any more.
This is a fabulous place to get lost in for an hour or two, and it's free! How can you beat that?
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This is a great little art gallery. 2 floors with various rooms including an African section, Egyptian & Mediterranean, Asian and of course the Rodin exhibits. A little disappointed that The Thinker was covered due to the weather (?), but will definitely go back to see the rest of the gallery and changing exhibits.
We were amazed that this was a FREE museum! How great is that.
The coffee shop was nice for lunch and it does look over the sculpture garden - you just have to sit outside.
