The city of Seattle is well known for their four major art museums; Frye Art Museum, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle Art Museum, and the Seattle Asian Art Museum. But, this is not even close to all there is in this diverse city. There are over 100 art galleries in the city of Seattle and dozens more that are not technically museums but have incredible art collections.

Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square was the first neighborhood in the city of Seattle. This is where the settlers first inhabited the area in 1852. By 1890 Pioneer Square was dotted with beautiful brick and stone buildings. This set the climate for the area and much of today’s architecture leans toward this original construction style.

Over 50% of the art galleries and art collections in this lovely city are located in Pioneer Square. Pioneer Square is ripe with local art, festivals, tours, and beauty. So, although Pioneer Square is not listed as a museum, it is that and much more. Therefore, we have listed it as number one on our list.

Frye Art Museum

Frye Art Museum is a beautiful and elegant art museum located in the First Hill Neighborhood of Seattle. They have permanent and traveling exhibits that are famous and much desired in the art circuit. They specialize in paintings and sculptures from the 19th century to modern art of today.

Henry Art Gallery

Known as simply, “The Henry” this museum is the Art Museum of the University of Washington. The Henry is known globally for their collection of contemporary art that pushes the limits of the art world. They have a collection size of 25,000.

Seattle Art Museum

The Seattle Art Museum is located downtown and consists of three facilities. It includes the Seattle Art Museum, the Olympic Sculpture Park, and The Asian Art Museum (which is currently closed for renovation). The collection size is more than 25,000. They also have a growing museum library with more than 33,000 books in the collection.

Collectors

As mentioned previously, many much of the world famous and most desired art collections in the world are in the city ofSeattle. But not all of them are in museums. Art News Magazine recently published a list of the top 200 art collectors. Not top 200 art collectors in the United States, but in the world. Five of the top global art collectors live in Seattle.

Here is a list of the collectors fromthe city of Seattle that made the list:

  • Paul Allen
  • Barney A. Ebsworth
  • Elizabeth and Richard Hedreen
  • Jon and Mary Shirley
  • Bill and Ruth True

Arts Lectures

It is only fitting to mention that the 2017/2018 season marks the 30th anniversary of the Seattle Arts & Lectures. This organization has arts programs that are second to none. They reach out with various events and programs to reach the future generation of artists. If you love art and want to support America’s youth, please support the Seattle Arts & Lectures.