Seattle Art Museum
The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) is an art museum in Seattle, Washington, with three main sites: the downtown Seattle Art Museum, the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park (Capitol Hill), and the 9-acre Olympic Sculpture Park on the waterfront, which opened in 2007. The SAM collection has grown from about 1,900 pieces in 1933 to around 25,000 today, and the museum welcomes about 750,000 visitors each year across all locations.
History and buildings
- SAM began with local art groups in the early 1900s and opened as the Art Institute of Seattle in 1933 in a building designed by Carl F. Gould in Volunteer Park.
- In 1991, a new downtown facility opened, designed by Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates, to expand the museum’s space.
- The Volunteer Park building became the Seattle Asian Art Museum in 1994 after renovations.
- The Olympic Sculpture Park, a separate public park with outdoor sculpture, opened in 2007.
- The downtown campus expanded again in the 2000s, adding more gallery space, a store, and a restaurant. The expanded building is connected to a neighboring office tower.
Collections and highlights
- SAM houses about 25,000 pieces. Only a small portion is on display at any time.
- Notable works and artists include Calder’s Eagle, Serra’s Wake, Cranach’s The Judgment of Paris, Mark Tobey, Do-Ho Suh, and many Asian and contemporary works.
- In 1997, the museum helped return a looted Matisse painting to its rightful owners after a settlement with the Rosenberg family.
Libraries
- The Dorothy Stimson Bullitt Library (founded 1991) focuses on African, European, modern art, and photography.
- The McCaw Foundation Library for Asian Art (founded 1933) focuses on Asian art.
Funding and leadership
- SAM relies mainly on private funding, memberships, and admissions; government funding is a small share.
- Amada Cruz became director in 2019.
- In 2021–2022, SAM security staff formed the SAM Visitors Service Officers Union, and a strike occurred in 2025 over wages and benefits.
Visiting and access
- Admission to SAM’s indoor spaces is free on the first Thursday of each month and the first Saturday of each month; otherwise, a suggested donation is encouraged.
- The museum is easily reached by public transit, with Symphony Station nearby.
Location
- 1300 First Avenue, Seattle, Washington.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:41 (CET).