The gallery is San Francisco's largest, including more than 8,000 square feet of prime exhibition space. Visitors are welcomed, without pressure, and are encouraged to seek answers to questions about works on view, artists represented, and art in general. The staff is knowledgeable and collector-friendly.

Artists who regularly stage one-person exhibitions with John Pence include: Juliette Aristides, William Bartlett, Michael Bergt, Jacob Collins, Tony Curanaj, Donald Demers, Carl Dobsky, Douglas Flynt, Adam Forfang Sarah Lamb, Dean Larson, Kate Lehman, Steven J. Levin, Joseph McGurl, Edward Minoff, Dorothy Morgan, Jacob A. Pfeiffer, Nicholas M. Raynolds, Travis Schlaht, Stock Schlueter, Randall Sexton, Hugh Shurley, Anthony Waichulis, and Will Wilson.

In addition to these stand-out artists, the gallery invites the best artists from around the country to present their works in themed group shows, such as: Bay Are Realists, Drawings, Trompe L'Oeil, and Water Street Atelier, .

The John Pence Gallery represents the estates of Minerva J. Chapman (1858-1947), Mary Foote (1872-1968), and Robert Maione (1932-1987).

The gallery also carries excellent examples of work by earlier American realists and has in its inventory (or recently sold) works by George Henry Boughton, Robert Brackman, Emil Carlsen, John F. Carlson, Frank Herrmann, Ferdinand Kaufmann, John Koch, Otis Oldfield, Walter Launt Palmer, Ferdinand Richardt, Frederick Shafer, Karl Schmidt, John Sloan, Millard Sheets, Joseph Stella, Gardner Symons, Abbott Thayer, Walter Ufer, Edward Vysekel, Marion Wachtel, Harry Wickey, and Harvey Otis Young.