Seattle Art Museum

Address:	1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
Phone:	+1 206-654-3100
Site:	seattleartmuseum.org
Rating:	4.4
Working:	10AM–5PM Closed 10AM–5PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

Casey Penk

The Seattle Art Museum attempts to be somewhat encyclopedic, and while it falls short at this goal, it still has plenty to vouch for itself. A comparison helps illuminate the problem. The Met in New York has the square footage, donor resources, attendance, and collection to thoroughly catalog almost every period in the history of art. Yet even its collection is spotty, highly overrepresenting Europe and shoving African and Asian arts into their little enclaves. And while their modern collection is stronger than that of many standalone modern art museums, it still irritates some who want the Met to focus on antiquity and established art. The point here is that finding the right balance is perilous, and that to be encyclopedic is to commit to a gargantuan task. The Seattle Art Museum is not currently positioned to do justice to the full range of human artistic expression, so it does focus somewhat. Theres a big focus on ethnic minority artists, and the modern collection is rather sizable. Yet the museum still seems to stray into territory where its not really an expert. For example, theres a section dedicated to Japanese art; while its nice to explore art thats a bit less mainstream, I wonder why they dedicated an exhibit in the downtown campus when there is the Asian Art Museum just across town that would conceivably be better suited to Japanese art. The problem is not that they are trying to showcase a diverse range of artistic expression, but rather the fact that their thinking seems to be a bit unclear. The museum managers and owners dont really seem to know what theyre trying to accomplish. And to the extent that they do, they dont really explain themselves. Why this exhibit? Why does this matter? I would like to see the literature grapple with questions about the social purpose of its art. Especially in Seattle, people appreciate art thats thoughtfully curated and intended to provoke thought about difficult topics. The photographic exhibit from Braddock, Pennsylvania does this well, but the reflections are limited to that space. I felt the museum lost a critical teaching moment about the wider significance of its collection. The museum is a pleasure to peruse and will take three to four hours to get through with enough depth in each of the sections. The title cards are well-written and generally engaging, and are digestible for even non-critics. Its not a huge museum, which makes it more manageable. I hope to see them expand in coming years, simultaneously talking on broader missions and narrowing their focus on their areas of core competency. The museum has plenty of promise. We shall see.

Kevin A.

I dont recommend this for visitors/travelers. Its only worth it if youre a part of the museums membership program. This past weekend I took a trip out to visit Seattle and see other attractions I missed last time (from NY). I arrived 30 minutes before opening and there was a line that went down multiple blocks. Apparently people began lining up at 5 a.m. (museum opens at 10 a.m.). While sitting on line I discovered the museum only sells a certain amount of tickets from overhearing nearby conversations. I assumed it was for the time sensitive exhibit (Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors). Later I found out they do the same for GA. Committed to making the most of my trip I decided to stick around. I practically walked through the doors and all tickets were sold, the museum was not admitting anymore patrons for the day. It was barely an hour after opening. This is an absolute scam to push people to buy memberships, which do come with a lot of perks. I was definitely annoyed with the procedures taken and temperament of museum staff. As they overlooked the line their expressions/tone from being asked about admission varied. In the beginning they assured everyone there they would be allowed in. Time passed and they told people they more than likely wouldnt get in after waiting for about an hour with a pompous attitude. One employee even counted how many people were in line, yet didnt tell anyone that they wouldnt get in. Occasionally an employee would make an announcement promoting their membership with no additional details. They gave the impression that whoever signed up would definitely be allowed in. A lot of people fell for this. It aggravated others who eventually bailed. In summary the museum staff were unhelpful and snobby, and frequent visitors with memberships are the only people that are going to get in. If you are visiting from elsewhere, cant buy tickets online (weeks in advance), or cant line up before dawn this museum is impossible to check out. Im not big on art, but Ive never attended a museum that used such practices and didnt seek to inform/tend to clearly disgruntled customers. Please dont post that youre open till 5 p.m. if you refuse to sell GA after noon. But if youre a member apparently you are permitted special hours for viewings and events.

Alan Rosenfeld

Regarding the SAM and the current exhibit of Yves Saint Laurent going on until 1/7/17. A wonderful collection of key pieces from this artists collection. I do recommend sigin the collection. Its too bad the curators missed the mark when it comes to lighting and display of these works of art. What the curators miss is the art is not just in the final design of clothing, its in the stitching, the stretch, the lay of the material. Many of the pieces are simply lit in glamor low-light museum lighting which prevents the full appreciate of the hard work and thought that went into each stitch. One room of the collection features the material influences on the artist and displays pieces of hand-beading. However, the displays are so poorly designed that even people who were in wheelchairs had a hard time appreciating the art. There is a cases with the small examples of the beaded fabric used in the pieces displayed behind them. Yet the full garment behind these examples are laid flat and out of proper viewing reach for short people and persons in wheelchairs. I was also unable to obtain information whether this museum has children-free hours. Based on their website, they do not. I would not recommend visiting this collection during times when children are present and I suggest this museum and others like it create child-free hours. The works in this collection stand out on their own. The sketches with all the color swatches truly show a focused mind in an artist that has contributed much to the worlds style and culture. It just needs to be illuminated better and accessible for all to enjoy.

Alyx Wright

I rarely ever review places but I was so utterly disappointed in this place that I feel the need to do so. We went the museum on a Friday and looked around the shop and then asked a lady how we purchase tickets. She proceeded to tell us that they only sell x amount of tickets each day and usually they just line up at about 10 am. My family and I had agreed to come back that following Monday and we did so. We got there Monday morning and got in line. It was civil and pretty well done until the lady came by telling us it would be a 1 to 2 hour wait and we may not even get a ticket. We bailed the line so after and thats when my father asked a guard if there was any way they could just count people as they came in and stop when they had enough to keep from people getting angry, like we kinda were. The guard danced around the idea until he finally fessed up that the whole line up thing was just a ploy to sell memberships.....which 90% of the people there will never need again! End of story is this place is terribly ran and wants nothing but your money! My suggestion is to avoid this at all cost. There are so many other beautiful and better ways to spend your time and money in Seattle.