A SAM Remix for European Masters and Downton Abbey Fans Alike

A SAM Remix for European Masters and Downton Abbey Fans Alike

Everyone’s favorite museum party is back, as SAM Remix once again fills the Seattle Art Museum with art-loving revelers for after-hours fun. Tonight’s edition of the quarterly event celebrates (and includes admission to) the new show Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London,, which opened just last month. Continue reading A SAM Remix for European Masters and Downton Abbey Fans Alike

With Kenwood House Exhibit, SAM Goes <strike>Downtown</strike> Downton

With Kenwood House Exhibit, SAM Goes Downtown Downton

The paintings hearken back to a time in the 17th and 18th centuries when the great lords and ladies of England paid hard-working and ambitious society painters to portray them in their best light, in clothes that are as fancy as all get out. It’s not unusual to see subjects dressed as Greek gods or characters from Shakespeare. Much later, in the 1800s, collectors like Guinness bought these paintings to decorate their stately homes. Watching Downton Abbey, which is largely filmed at Highclere Castle an hour north of London, you can see many paintings very similar to the ones on display at SAM. Continue reading With Kenwood House Exhibit, SAM Goes Downtown Downton

The Fine Art of Getting People in to See Fine Art

The Fine Art of Getting People in to See Fine Art

This past weekend, you had your choice, in Seattle, of how you’d like your visual art. You could stay up late with it, at SAM’s Remix, or convene with it, at the Affordable Art Fair, making its debut appearance in Seattle. You could only walk home with it from the latter, which offered pieces ranging from $100 to $10,000, and a free wrapping service. Continue reading The Fine Art of Getting People in to See Fine Art

Exploring the Outdoors, Virtually, at SAM

Exploring the Outdoors, Virtually, at SAM

Beauty and Bounty is the title of Seattle Art Museum’s summer exhibit, running through September 11. It’s art from an age of American exploration, when our early-warning artists twigged to the public interest in what sights the frontier held, and to the fragility of what feels like raw wilderness. SAM’s Derrick Cartwright mentioned the “enormous physical beauty” that drew artists out on endurance expeditions, hauling supplies out where there were no roads. Continue reading Exploring the Outdoors, Virtually, at SAM

Derrick Cartwright Resigns as Director of Seattle Art Museum

Derrick Cartwright Resigns as Director of Seattle Art Museum

“I am writing to inform you of my decision to resign as Director of the Seattle Art Museum effective June 30,” goes Derrick Cartwright’s letter on the Seattle Art Museum site. “This was a difficult decision for me but with SAM today in a much stronger position than when I arrived, I believe the time is right for a change in leadership.” Cartwright, who will have lasted just two years at SAM’s helm, goes on to list some highlights from this year. Continue reading Derrick Cartwright Resigns as Director of Seattle Art Museum