Miss Jo's San Francisco

IT SEEMED LIKE ONE OF THOSE ONLY-IN-SAN-FRANCISCO THINGS: taking a yoga class at a museum where you could also see an exhibit of Southeast Asian art collected over a lifetime by the late heiress and mid-20th-century playgirl Doris Duke.

The combination brought Miss Jo to the free first Sunday of the month at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, where “Emerald Cities: Arts of Siam and Burma” recently opened, featuring Duke’s collection, like gilded ritual vessels, mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture and bejeweled Buddhas.

It’s the first exhibit of its kind in the West and the first time the museum’s extensive Duke collection has been shown off since the heiress’ estate split most of her Southeast Asian art between SF’s Asian Art Museum and Baltimore’s Walter’s Art Gallery. The exhibit runs through Jan. 17, 2010. (While the museum is free on the first Sunday of the month, there’s a $5 entrance to the Duke exhibit.)

A free yoga class ? Fantastic. At a museum ? Even better, especially when there’s a chance of shedding light on the eccentric life of Duke who at 12 in 1925 became known as the world’s “richest little girl” as the sole heir to the North Carolina tobacco and hydropower fortune of her father, James Buchanan Duke, after whom Duke University is named for his patronage.

Spending her life avoiding the limelight, Duke immersed herself in disparate cultures, whether it was wandering with Massai warriors in Africa or singing in a black choir at a Southern Baptist church. She also played jazz piano.

After two marriages and a series of lovers, including General George S. Patton, actor Errol Flynn and Hawaiian Olympic surfer Duke Kahanamoku, Doris Duke died a recluse at 80 in 1993. With no heirs, she capped her long life’s story by making her Irish butler executor of her billion-dollar fortune. Since his death three years later, the philanthropic Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has steered her estate, which has included dealing with her massive Southeast Asian art collection.

Duke stowed her Asian art where ever she found space at her mansions, like Shangri-La in Hawaii, where her Islamic art collection was already on display and which is now a museum.

A partially constructed Thai village was found in the indoor tennis courts at her New Jersey estate, Duke Farms, as a sad reminder of her unfulfilled, decades-long dream to build a Southeast Asian art center in Hawaii or the southern U.S. using traditional Thai houses.

While the Asian Art Museum exhibit wasn’t much of a window into the heiress’ life, Miss Jo was still bedazzled by Duke’s artifacts and learning about Thailand and Burmese culture during its 18th century golden age.

After an hour and exhausted contemplating Duke’s travels and wanderlust, Miss Jo headed to the first-floor 2 p.m. yoga class for some grounding. Amazingly, only six people attended. (Yoga mats were provided, though Miss Jo brought her own, which she had left with coat check.)

“Feel the spirit of the museum,” the yoga teacher told the class.

Miss Jo did, while also feeling like Duke might have approved.