Frye Art Museum

In the early 20th century, Charles and Emma Frye displayed their paintings from floor to ceiling, sometimes even covering works with curtains to reveal them dramatically to dinner guests. Their home gallery became a meeting place for art, music and lively conversation, setting the tone for the museum they left to Seattle. Opened in 1952, the Frye Art Museum continues that spirit in a city where admission is always free. Its original collection of 232 paintings, with a strong focus on German artists, now sits alongside modern and contemporary art. Rather than treating the past as fixed, the museum revisits its historic collection through new exhibitions and conversations with artists today.