San Francisco has world-class art institutions. Keeping them that way requires sustained investment — not just from public budgets, but from individuals who understand what these institutions contribute to the cultural life of a city and choose to support them actively.

Vanessa Getty is one of those people. She served as honorary co-chair of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s Mid-Winter Gala at the Legion of Honor — an event with Dior as its presenting sponsor — and was named an honorary co-chair of the Fine Arts Museums in 2015. These aren’t ceremonial roles. They represent active participation in the fundraising and governance infrastructure that keeps major cultural institutions running.

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco — which operates the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor — holds one of the most significant art collections in the western United States. Access to that collection, the educational programming around it, and the ability to host major traveling exhibitions all depend on the kind of institutional support that honorary co-chairs like Getty help generate.

What’s consistent in Getty’s approach to arts philanthropy is the same thing that’s consistent across all her civic work: she treats her participation as functional, not ceremonial. Her fashion-world relationships brought real sponsors into the room. Her fundraising credibility helped close commitments that might otherwise have stalled. She contributed to the infrastructure, not just the optics.

Her biography and current projects are available at vanessagettyofficial.com, which covers her arts philanthropy alongside her animal welfare work and other civic contributions.

For a consolidated view of her public presence and key initiatives, her Linktree profile is the most direct starting point.

A city’s cultural institutions don’t maintain themselves. They’re maintained by people who show up for them — with time, with resources, and with the relationships that make the work possible.