Seattle Art Museum - Seattle, WA
- Sep 23, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 28, 2025
My trip to the Pacific Northwest wouldn't be complete without going to an art museum. Any trip would be missing something if I didn't hit at least some kind of collection. In Seattle I was fortunate enough to have time to go see museums for Art, Pop Culture, Bonsais, Kurt Cobain, and Mt. Rainier. It was a great trip. This post is in three parts since The Seattle Art Museum was almost like three different great museums. It will be the Ai Weiwei Exhibit, Modern Art, and Native Tribal Art and Artifacts. Here we go!
Seattle Art Museum Little Cloud Sky by Samuel Borkson & Arturo Sandoval III
On the last day, I went to the Seattle Art Museum. I didn't realize that it was the last day to see the collected works of Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist, documentarian, rebel, and activist. At the Museum of Pop Culture, I saw the last days of the Nirvana exhibit and here at SAM, I saw the last day of the Weiwei exhibit. I feel incredibly lucky to have been in Seattle when I was. The Museum gods were smiling on me I guess.
The Ai Weiwei exhibit was on the top floor of the three story building so we decided to start there. It was pretty impressive. Not only the volume of work that was on display, but also the breadth of different styles of work that he's done like photography, wood, porcelain, paintings, marble, and even Legos. There was a display of the cell he was held in by the Chinese government for being an outspoken activist. Well, they said it was tax evasion, so he was held for 81 days and interrogated at length. Then his passport was destroyed. Someone hit a nerve! Anyway, his exhibit was wonderful. If you're ever in a place where his work is being shown, you should try to go. I'll share the photos from his show and then photos from the rest of the museum further down.
Mao 1-3 Triptych by Ai Weiwei Mao 1-3 Triptych by Ai Weiwei Mao 1-3 Triptych by Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn by Ai Weiwei June 1994 by Ai Weiwei Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus in Green by Ai Weiwei Close up of toy bricks Ai Weiwei Marble Sofa by Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei Exhibit Chinese Zodiac Rat (My Animal) Flask by Ai Weiwei Flask by Ai Weiwei Middle Finger Gold by Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei
The second part of this post is the fine art aspect of the museum. Some people's definition of "fine" is different that mine, but that's a whole other discussion. Here I'm basically talking about paintings and sculptures. You'll get the idea. The collection that SAM has is impressive. It isn't heavy on any one genre or era. It quite adeptly covers art from all over the world and from many different time periods. It was great to see a Mark Rothko down the hall from a sculpture of Aphrodite. It really made the visit seem complete. Here are some works that made me pause and snap a pic.
Urban Interludes #9 by Kaite Metz Wrong Side of the Tracks by Andy Eccleshall Night Watch by Lee Krasner Trapsprung by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Rorschach by Andy Warhol Floral Coat Lining by Amoako Boafo Portrait of Man with Glasses I by Francis Bacon To B.W.T. by Philip Guston Banana by Andy Warhol Double Elvis by Andy Warhol Spoiled Carnival by Yvonne Twining Humber Northwest Salmon Fishermen by Rudolph Franz Zallinger Anthony of Padua by Kehinde Wiley Four Female Figures by Emilio Amero PH-338 (1949-No.2) by Clifford Still Dining Room, Rue de Naples, Paris by Edouard Vuillard Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene by George de la Tour & Studio Two Soundsuits by Nick Cave Okumpa Masquerade Players by Chukwu Okoro, Sam Irem, Eze Anamelechi Okumpa Masquerade Players by Chukwu Okoro, Sam Irem, Eze Anamelechi Coffin by Kane Quaye I Missed the title of this room sized piece Salt Cellar by Sapi Man and Horse Standing Figure (Nkondi) Divination Container by Master Areogun Relief with two horsemen, inscription, and star medallion Head of a King Blue Plate Aphrodite Torso Saint Ulrich Urn with faun and sprite Urn with faun and sprite Bowl by Louis Comfort Tiffany Porcelain Room Porcelain Room Study of Nude for Balzac F. by Auguste Rodin Rembrandt Etching Rembrandt Etching Rembrandt Etching Rembrandt Etching
Finally, here is the Native Art section. As with most Native American cultures, the Pacific Northwest Tribes have their own history, customs, traditional clothes, and art that vary from Tribes in other parts of the country. This uniqueness makes this area of the museum special to me. It shows the vibe that the Tribes have contributed to this part of the US. Like the Tribes here in Oklahoma, they're an integral part of the things we see everyday. There is also modern works from members of the tribes, and it makes me glad there are more artists around to bring us great things. I loved this part of the museum. It was so great. And, of course, I had to take an selfie with one of the pieces of art!
Aam'halait - Tsimshian Seated Human Figure Bowl - Coast Salish Interior House Post - Kwakwaka'wakw Raven Mask (Gwaxwaml) - Kwakwaka'wakw Feast Dish by Calvin Hunt Mask of Ahixula'tanum - Nuxalk Image of the Sun - Nuxalk Me and this hot number. Seal Spirit by James Schoppert Interior House Post Interior House Post Killer Whale by Preston Singletary PNW Artifacts Canoe Breaker: Southeast Wind's Brother by Robert Davidson Headdress with frontlet by Simeon Sdiihldaa Sawfish mask - Melanesian Food Bowl: Frigate Bird with Shark - Melanesian The First People by Susan Point Shark Reliquary - Melanesian Yalata (Coastal Homeland) by Binygurr Wirrpanda (Australian) Mumutthun by Wanyubi Marika (Australian)
