Though his ideas were considered eccentric during his lifetime, architect and engineer R. Buckminster Fuller has inspired successive generations of idealistic designers with his ethos of social responsibility embodied in technology. The Utopian Impulse examines his legacy at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which seems fitting—even though Fuller never lived in that city, it’s known for its nonconformists and visionaries. Projects are drawn from his portfolio Inventions: Twelve Around One (1981)—including the Geodesic Dome, World Game, and the Dymaxion Car (pictured), a fuel-efficient, three-wheeled vehicle that preceded the Prius by about 60 years. Also included are Fuller-influenced projects for the Bay Area, such as local company North Face’s 1975 Oval Intention, which utilized Fuller’s concept of “tensegrity” to change modern tent design. March 31 through July 29. • sfmoma.org
