By Seattle Art Museum - SAM Strategic Plan, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53612177
The Seattle Art Museum actually comprises three facilities: the main museum downtown, the Seattle Asian American Art Museum, and Olympic Sculpture Park. Founded in the early 20th century, the SAM collection has grown from just under 2,000 pieces in 1933 to about 25,000 pieces today. It is definitely an attraction Seattle visitors should include in their itineraries. ( Museum Website )
Through September 7, 2025, the museum is the home of "Ai, Rebel," the largest-ever U.S. exhibition of the works of Ai Weiwei, a representation of his 40-year career as an artist and political and social activist. Ai's father, Ai Qing, was once one of China's most famous poets, an acquaintance of Mao Zedong, and a loyal communist party member. He served on cultural committees and edited party magazines. Then, in 1958, he fell victim to the Cultural Revolution, and he was denounced as "rightist." He, and his family, were sentenced to banishment and exile, first to a labor camp in northeastern China, near Korea, and then to the barren and desolate northwest, near Mongolia. Following Mao's death and the end of the Cultural Revolution, the family was allowed to return to Beijing in 1976.
Naturally, this all had a major impact on Ai Weiwei who enrolled in the Beijing Film Academy, studied animation, and became a rising star in the Chinese industry. He also lived in the U.S. from 1981 to 1993, among the first generation of Chinese students allowed to study abroad. His experiences shaped his art and his activism. He developed the guiding principle of his career and life: art is inherently political, and an artist must also be an activist. He became an iconoclast, modifying or destroying ancient objects, breaking societal norms, and publicly criticizing the Chinese government. The government responded by banning his work, destroying his workshops, and briefly imprisoning him without charges or trials He continued his criticism and his art, exploring multiple media including film, photography, painting, sculpture, and even "painting" with Lego bricks instead of paints. In 2015, the Chinese government allowed him to leave China, and he's become a world citizen.
The Seattle exhibit is vast, and because Ai's work is so varied, anyone can find something that appeals to or intrigues them even if other works don't seem as interesting, but there's a very strong likelihood that visitors will be challenged or, at least, find something to think about.
Marble Easy Chair Lego painting
Legos
The museum's permanent collection is as varied and interesting, with plenty to discover. There are a few well known artists represented like Alexander Calder's mobiles and a couple of Andy Warhol portraits.
There are very respectable ancient, African, and European galleries.
As one would expect, there is a beautiful collection of Northwest Indian art.
Somewhat unexpectedly, there is a very interesting exhibit of Australian Aboriginal art.
However, the installation that I personally found most interesting and beautiful is a relatively new creation by a contemporary artist, Fiori dei miei Habiti (La Montagne Enchantée) by Diego Cibelli. It consists of five elaborate pieces of Capodimonte porcelain designed specifically to sit under the Porcelain Room's 18th century ceiling fresco. This ain't your grandma's Capodimonte bird and flower figurines. These pieces are mindblowing in detail. Although this is a site-specific piece, it is supposedly on exhibit only through May of 2026. (More info ).
If you're planning a visit to Seattle, be sure to include SAM.
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