The marketing team at the deYoung Museum clearly missed the memo that San Francisco does not allow spray-stencil advertising of any kind on its sidewalks, because a tipster alerted us to some new stencils promoting the museum's Summer of Love Experience exhibit that showed up around the Castro this week. Presumably like these stencils advertising a Justin Bieber album two years ago, and these advertising an Edward Sharpe album last year, the deYoung's ads were done with spray chalk, but just because they wash off easily does not mean this is OK with the powers that be.

As City Attorney Dennis Herrera wrote in a letter threatening a lawsuit against Bieber's record company over the practice back in 2015, "This prohibited marketing practice illegally exploits our City’s walkable neighborhoods and robust tourism. [It] intentionally creates visual distractions that pose risks to pedestrians on busy rights of way; and irresponsibly communicates to young people that likeminded lawlessness and contempt for public property are condoned and encouraged by its beneficiaries — including Mr. Bieber and the record labels that produce and promote him."

Herrera also said at the time that each instance of the stencil, considered the same as a graffiti tag, could come with a $2,500 fine. In previous years, the city has gone after a number of companies for similar marketing efforts including NBC Universal, Turner Broadcasting, and Zynga.

SFist reached out to the deYoung's press office for comment, but we have not yet received a response.

Update: Miriam Newcomer, PR director for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, issued a statement saying, "We will be removing the stencils immediately and apologize to the city of San Francisco. Unfortunately members of our marketing team — that drove initiatives promoting the Summer of Love exhibition at the de Young — were unaware of the restrictions surrounding our city’s sidewalks. The Museums will ensure this oversight does not occur again."

Related: DeYoung Museum's 'Summer Of Love Experience' Opens, Dede Wilsey Declares 'I'm A Flower Child'