Taking a Step-by-Step Approach to Growth

During the recent years of market exuberance, as many museums completed high-profile expansions, Mr. Benezra followed a pragmatic course of expanding the museum in manageable steps. On May 10, the museum is to open its first new space since 1995 — a 14,400-square-foot rooftop sculpture garden, designed by the San Francisco firm Jensen Architects. On display will be large-scale works by Louise Bourgeois, Ellsworth Kelly and Barnett Newman, among others.

“It’s fully funded, fully endowed, on budget and on schedule, and that puts a smile on my face these days,” Mr. Benezra said. He added that the $24 million donated for the project by five trustees was the easiest money he had ever had to raise.

Mr. Benezra said that he and the board chairman, Charles Schwab, founder of the eponymous investment firm, had their eyes on two spaces flanking the museum for future expansion but were waiting for the economy to improve.

“Outside of New York, there’s more great contemporary art in the Bay Area than anyplace else in the U.S., and we have to convince our donors that if they are good enough to leave their objects to us, there’s space to show them,” Mr. Benezra said, noting that the creation of the sculpture garden had resulted in recent gifts of work by Mario Merz and Joel Shapiro.

He said that when he arrived at the museum, 70 percent of the 50,000 square feet of gallery space was given over to special exhibitions. Now it’s closer to 60 percent. “A really great museum that grows to maturity dedicates itself to its collection,” he said. “I would ultimately like to see a 50-50 ratio without cutting the exhibition program.”

The lineup of monographic exhibitions organized during his tenure, including shows of Diane Arbus, Olafur Eliasson, Eva Hesse, Sol LeWitt and Jeff Wall, may be where Mr. Benezra has put his strongest imprint on the museum.