Frye Art Museum

The Frye Art Museum opened in 1952 and collected and exhibited mostly representational art. Only relatively recently have they started to venture a bit beyond realism in some of their exhibits.

In addition to the gallery exhibits, the Frye Museum hosts other programs as well.

Programs include lectures and gallery talks, guided tours, film talks, even music. They have a series of free concerts featuring talented local musicians and international performers.

In the beginning weeks of each major exhibit, the Frye offers Tea and Tours. Visitors tour the exhibit with gallery guides, then gather in the Gallery Cafe to discuss the experience over tea and treats.

The Frye also offers classes in art history, contemporary art, and a variety of studio classes such as drawing, sketching, painting, or watercolor techniques. And if you are an educator, they offer school tours and educational materials that go along with the current exhibit.

Hours:

• Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 10am - 5pm
• Thur 10am - 5pm
• Sun Noon - 5pm
• Closed on Mondays
• Admission is always free!

The museum is located in the First Hill neigborhood just a couple of blocks east of Interstate 5, on Terry Avenue. Not only is admission free, but there is also free parking across the street. If you are looking for something free or inexpensive to do on a rainy afternoon in Seattle, consider a visit to the Frye Museum.

How the museum got it's start

The Frye Art Museum came to be when Charles Frye, a prominent Seattle business leader, gifted his art collection of 232 paintings to the people of Seattle upon his death in 1940. Mr. Frye and his wife, Emma, were avid art collectors and patrons of the arts. They displayed their collection in an exhibition space attached to their home as well as in their private quarters. They were also music lovers who hosted concerts and charitable events in their art gallery.

The founding collection contains mostly works of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century German artists plus a selection of French paintings. Charles Frye had conservative artistic taste, and all the works in his collection are representational pieces. They are displayed from floor to ceiling in a huge room. It's quite impressive, and I can only imagine what it must have been like to have all those pieces hanging in a private residence!

Mr. Frye's will stipulated that the majority of the Fryes' own collection always be on display. He set aside enough money for a museum to house the collection, and required that admission always be free. What a great gift to the people of Seattle!

For more information about the Frye's collection, exhibitions, member news, programs, events, and store:
704 Terry Avenue
206-622-9250
www.fryemuseum.org