Seattle Art Museum, Art museum in downtown Seattle, US
The Seattle Art Museum is an art museum in downtown Seattle, United States, housed in a white limestone building with a large suspended steel sculpture marking the entrance. Inside, around 25,000 works occupy multiple floors organized into galleries that group pieces by region and period.
Founded in 1933, the museum first occupied a building in a residential neighborhood before relocating to First Avenue in 1991 to gain much larger exhibition space. This move allowed the growing collection to spread across significantly more square footage.
The name ties directly to the city it serves, while inside the galleries visitors can see how Northwest Coast peoples shaped wood, stone, and fiber into ceremonial objects still honored today. The museum layout encourages walking between rooms where European canvases hang near African carvings and Asian scrolls.
The museum opens Wednesday through Sunday between 10 AM and 5 PM, with Thursday hours extending to 9 PM and free entry offered on the first Thursday of each month. Galleries are accessible by elevator and stairs, allowing visitors to move between floors.
The museum operates a separate sculpture park along Elliott Bay waterfront, where 21 large installations spread across nine acres (3.6 hectares) offer outdoor viewing. This extension allows visitors to experience art while walking beside the water.
Location: Seattle
Inception: 1933
Architects: Carl Frelinghuysen Gould
Official opening: 1933
Address: 1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
Opening Hours: Wednesday, Friday-Sunday 10:00-17:00; Thursday 10:00-21:00
Phone: +12066543100
Website: http://seattleartmuseum.org
GPS coordinates: 47.60770,-122.33856
Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:26
Seattle stretches between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, offering a mix of urban architecture, public spaces and natural areas. This route connects more than thirty stops, from the Space Needle and Pike Place Market to less visited sites like the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks or the Wing Luke Museum. The selection includes museums of contemporary and classical art, historic neighborhoods and waterfront parks. Pike Place Market sits downtown and has operated as a public market since 1907. Chihuly Garden and Glass displays the glasswork of local artist Dale Chihuly. The Museum of Pop Culture, designed by Frank Gehry, covers music, film and video games. Olympic Sculpture Park spans nine acres along the waterfront, combining outdoor sculpture with views across the bay. The Seattle Art Museum holds collections from different continents and periods. The Ballard Locks connect salt water to fresh water and include a fish ladder for migrating salmon. Discovery Park covers 534 acres with trails through forest and meadow, plus beach access. Gas Works Park preserves parts of a former coal gasification plant on Lake Union. The Museum of Flight documents aviation history with more than 175 aircraft and spacecraft. Mount Rainier National Park lies about two hours southeast and features the 14,411-foot (4,392-meter) glaciated volcano.
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