America's best small museums -- Part 3.
For some reason, we've never really been impressed with the Seattle Art Museum. The permanent collection, which is strong in African, Oceanic, and Coastal Native art, doesn't do much for us. "Hammering Man," the colossal statue out front, looks like it was designed by a sixth grader. And the visiting exhibitions are rarely compelling.
We just think there are better ways to spend a couple of hours in Seattle. One of them is less than a mile away on Pill Hill. If the weather's fine and you don't mind an up-hill hike, you could walk. But parking's free, so why bother.
The Frye Museum of Art is a quirky, unassuming little gallery that almost everyone will enjoy. The art's not that great. To be honest, a lot of it isn't even good, and some of it is text-book kitsch. But the cohesiveness of the collection, the intimacy of the gallery, and the complete lack of pretense make it an endearing place.
The foundation stock of the permanent collection is the 232 Munich Academy and Secession paintings Charles and Emma Frye collected between 1893 and Charles Frye's death in 1940. If you enjoy paintings of cows, ducks, and hay wagon, this is the place. Fans of the Symbolist movement will also enjoy the four Franz von Stuck's, inluding the provocative "Sin."
Admission to the museum is free. And the visiting exhibitions run the gamut from R. Crumb to Edward Steichen. For more information, visit http://fryemuseum.org