The Bay Lights, 2013

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, San Francisco, CA

Leo Villareal’s monumental public artwork The Bay Lights, which adorned the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for a bright ten years, is one of Villareal’s most iconic works of public art.

San Francisco arts organization Illuminate was a driving force behind The Bay Lights from the start. Combining the vision of world renowned artist Leo Villareal and Illuminate’s founder and CEO Ben Davis, The Bay Lights gorgeously represented the transition from impossible to possible. Almost immediately upon flipping the "on" switch on March 5th, 2013, and throughout its brilliant ten years, The Bay Lights is still one of the world's most recognizable pieces of public art. A mesmerizing piece of site-specific art and a beacon of possibility, The Bay Lights became a core part of San Francisco’s artistic and architectural landscape.

The Bay Lights went dark on March 5th 2023, on the ten year anniversary of its initial lighting. It is with deep gratitude for the public’s appreciation for this monumental artwork that Villareal looks ahead to the bright future of The Bay Lights, and hopes for it to once again illuminate the Bay.