JR's The Chronicles of San Francisco Mural at SFMOMA

French artist JR unveiled The Chronicles of San Francisco at SFMOMA's Roberts Family Gallery on May 23, 2019, running until April 27, 2020. The mural is part of his Chronicles series, inspired by Diego Rivera's Bay Area murals from the 1930s and 1940s. In early 2018, JR set up a mobile studio in a 53-foot trailer truck, traveling to 22 locations across San Francisco to film and interview over 1,200 residents. Participants shared personal stories in a makeshift sound studio, responding to an open-ended prompt. The final work combines still and moving images, capturing the city's contrasts—immense wealth alongside high child homelessness rates. Visitors can hear each participant's voice via iPads in the gallery or through a free augmented reality app for iPhone and Android. A companion book features selected quotes. The project began in 2016 with a mural in Les Bosquets, Clichy-Montfermeil, Paris.