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You are now in the Frye Art Museum web site hosted on Seattle Community Network. The Frye Art Museum maintains a larger web site at http://www.fryeart.org/ as well; don't forget to visit us there (especially if your browser allows you to see images).
Founded in 1952, the Frye Art Museum is an intimate art museum located in a new state-of-the art facility in downtown Seattle. The museum features 19th and early 20th century European and American paintings, as well as works by Northwest regional artists and Alaskan painters. The Frye houses one of the nation's most important collections of Munich School paintings and has an impressive collection of American masters from the colonial period to American realist painters of today. The museum includes an education wing with art studios in addition to a museum cafe and gift shop.
We invite you to visit the museum for a free afternoon of quiet reflection and enjoyment of the arts. Afterwards, stop at the Gallery Cafe for refreshments or a visit to the Museum Gift Shop for unique art posters, books, and original crafts. Admission is free and parking is available.

Hours/Location:
The Frye Art Museum is located at 704 Terry Avenue, Seattle on the corner of Terry Avenue and Cherry Street. Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday, noon-5 p.m Sunday. Open Thursday until 9 p.m. Closed Monday.
Parking: Free parking is available across the street. Metro buses #12, #3, and #4 provide access from downtown Seattle. For more information call (206) 622-9250.

Current Exhibits
Information on current exhibits at the Frye is available from this link to our main web site.
Memberships:

Become a Friend of the Frye!
Memberships to the Frye Art Museum are available. Contact us for more details

The Collection:
The Frye private collection consists of a highly personal collection of early 19th and 20th century realist paintings, featuring one of the largest collection of German Munich School paintings in the United States and a comprehensive collection of American Masters. The collections include American Masters such as John Singleton Copley, Mary Cassatt, James McNeill Whistler, and Andrew Wyeth. The Frye also houses Northwest painters and boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of works by Alaskan painters in the United States. Touring exhibitions from throughout the United States and abroad are shown in adjacent galleries.
View some sample images from our collection, on-line at our main web site.

Activities:
Workshops in drawing, painting and ceramics are offered to children and adults. Workshops are held year round in the new education wing. Musical concerts, artist lectures, and poetry readings are offered in the museum auditorium.
The Facts:
The Frye Art Museum is a privately funded 501 (c) (3) non-profit museum dedicated to sustaining and expanding the visual arts heritage bequeathed by Charles and Emma Frye to the people of Seattle.
Fulfilling Charles and Emma Frye's vision of sharing the arts, the Frye continues to offer free admission.
Our facility provides a pleasant art experience for the visitor, with 42,000 square feet of light-filled rooms and state-of-the -art spaces for exhibitions, classes, work rooms, storage, and administration. New features include:

an auditorium with seating for 142
an education and curatorial wing
a covered arcade with reflecting pools
an intimate cafe with an adjacent outdoor court yard
a modern gift shop with books and art prints
state-of-the-art museum lighting and climate controls.

Why Visit the Frye?

The Frye Art Museum houses the most complete collection of Munich School paintings on the West Coast and one of the most important collections of its kind in the United States.
The collections range from American colonial painters (John Singleton Copley) to contemporary American realist painters (Andrew Wyeth).
The Frye houses an impressive collection of American painters, from Thomas Eakins and Mary Cassatt to James McNeill Whistler and William Merritt Chase.
The museum boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of work by Alaskan painters in the United States.

A Brief History...
The Frye Art Museum has a long and interesting connection to Seattle history...
Charles and Emma Frye, children of German emigrants, rose from humble beginnings to prominence in Seattle's business, social and cultural circles, leaving a legacy of art through the free public art museum named for them.
Born Oct. 25, 1858 at Davenport, Iowa, Charles was the son of a brick mason who came from Hanover, Germany to America. Emma was the daughter of the local grain elevator owner. Young Charles worked his father's farm and once won the Scott County corn husking championship.
Charles joined in the western migration of the late 1800s with his younger brother Frank and with Charles Bruhn, a childhood friend. Together they began cattle ranching in Montana and opened a meat market in 1884. A year later, Charles asked Emma to join him and they were married May 30, 1885. However, the winter of 1886-87 was devastating for Montana ranchers, temperatures dropped to 60 below, cattle froze to death and drought conditions followed. The Fryes moved west to Seattle.
In Seattle Charles became a meatpacker. They opened several meat markets finally incorporating in 1891 with a meat packing business built on 15 acres of tide flats. The land later became a valuable industrial and warehousing district, and still is today, in the area known as south Seattle (by the King Dome). The payroll grew from $500 a month to more than $1 million a year. Activities included cattle, sheep, hog and chicken raising in several western states, large scale meat processing and retail sales outlets stretching from California to Alaska.
Charles and Emma purchased their first European painting at the Chicago World's Fair in Chicago. The works which they acquired were primarily Munich School paintings dating from 1850 to 1900. The collection grew to more than 230 works and eventually covered every inch of their large Seattle home--one painting was said to be hung over the front of the fireplace because they ran out of room!
Seattle's social and civic leaders frequently visited the Frye home where they presented art and musical concert. They had an electric pipe organ installed in their home as home entertainment. Through their love of the arts and music, the Fryes played important roles in shaping Seattle. Charles was a leader in early Seattle political, business and cultural affairs.
During the 1920s and 1930s Charles expanded his business further into real estate, industry, farms, ranches gold mines and oil wells. He built a complex of warehouses for such firms as Frigidaire, J.A. Campbell and Buick Motor Co. One of his more adventurous investments was in Monroe Washington, where he bought 2,000 acres of land and cleared it in order to build an industrial scale lettuce farm with processing facilities, six narrow-gage railroad tracks and a plant producing 200 tons of ice per day. He hired 900 workers, including many minorities and women, an unusual labor practice in the 1930s.
Charles died on May 1, 1940. Emma died six years earlier. In his will Charles planned for the creation of a museum to house their collection of art. He specified that no admission fee be charged. He wanted everyone to enjoy the collection which he and Emma had created.
When the Frye Museum opened on February 8, 1952, a schedule of exhibits, classes, musical events and lectures was instituted. The tradition now continues in new and expanded quarters.

Fry Art Museum Catalog AVAILABLE:
The extensively illustrated "Handbook of the Collection" is available from the Frye for $10, which includes tax, postage and handling. Published in 1989, it contains a history of the museum, extensive notes on the art and artists represented in the collection and 53 full color reproductions. To purchase a catalog call 206-622-9250

Frye Art Museum Directory

For more information on the Frye Art Museum call (206) 622-9250.

FAX (206) 223-1707

Mailing address:
Charles and Emma Frye Art Museum

PO Box 3005

Seattle, WA 98114-3005

This site provided courtesy of Seattle Community Network.
Logo, background, and images courtesy of (and copyright-protected by) our main web site, http://www.fryeart.org/
Check out the other sites listed alongside us on SCN's Community Pages under Arts and under Education.


.	You are now in the Frye Art Museum web site hosted on Seattle Community Network. The Frye Art Museum maintains a larger web site at http://www.fryeart.org/ as well; don't forget to visit us there (especially if your browser allows you to see images). Founded in 1952, the Frye Art Museum is an intimate art museum located in a new state-of-the art facility in downtown Seattle. The museum features 19th and early 20th century European and American paintings, as well as works by Northwest regional artists and Alaskan painters. The Frye houses one of the nation's most important collections of Munich School paintings and has an impressive collection of American masters from the colonial period to American realist painters of today. The museum includes an education wing with art studios in addition to a museum cafe and gift shop. We invite you to visit the museum for a free afternoon of quiet reflection and enjoyment of the arts. Afterwards, stop at the Gallery Cafe for refreshments or a visit to the Museum Gift Shop for unique art posters, books, and original crafts. Admission is free and parking is available. Hours/Location: The Frye Art Museum is located at 704 Terry Avenue, Seattle on the corner of Terry Avenue and Cherry Street. Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday, noon-5 p.m Sunday. Open Thursday until 9 p.m. Closed Monday. Parking: Free parking is available across the street. Metro buses #12, #3, and #4 provide access from downtown Seattle. For more information call (206) 622-9250. Current Exhibits Information on current exhibits at the Frye is available from this link to our main web site. Memberships: Become a Friend of the Frye! Memberships to the Frye Art Museum are available. Contact us for more details The Collection: The Frye private collection consists of a highly personal collection of early 19th and 20th century realist paintings, featuring one of the largest collection of German Munich School paintings in the United States and a comprehensive collection of American Masters. The collections include American Masters such as John Singleton Copley, Mary Cassatt, James McNeill Whistler, and Andrew Wyeth. The Frye also houses Northwest painters and boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of works by Alaskan painters in the United States. Touring exhibitions from throughout the United States and abroad are shown in adjacent galleries. View some sample images from our collection, on-line at our main web site. Activities: Workshops in drawing, painting and ceramics are offered to children and adults. Workshops are held year round in the new education wing. Musical concerts, artist lectures, and poetry readings are offered in the museum auditorium. The Facts: The Frye Art Museum is a privately funded 501 (c) (3) non-profit museum dedicated to sustaining and expanding the visual arts heritage bequeathed by Charles and Emma Frye to the people of Seattle. Fulfilling Charles and Emma Frye's vision of sharing the arts, the Frye continues to offer free admission. Our facility provides a pleasant art experience for the visitor, with 42,000 square feet of light-filled rooms and state-of-the -art spaces for exhibitions, classes, work rooms, storage, and administration. New features include: an auditorium with seating for 142 an education and curatorial wing a covered arcade with reflecting pools an intimate cafe with an adjacent outdoor court yard a modern gift shop with books and art prints state-of-the-art museum lighting and climate controls. Why Visit the Frye? The Frye Art Museum houses the most complete collection of Munich School paintings on the West Coast and one of the most important collections of its kind in the United States. The collections range from American colonial painters (John Singleton Copley) to contemporary American realist painters (Andrew Wyeth). The Frye houses an impressive collection of American painters, from Thomas Eakins and Mary Cassatt to James McNeill Whistler and William Merritt Chase. The museum boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of work by Alaskan painters in the United States. A Brief History... The Frye Art Museum has a long and interesting connection to Seattle history... Charles and Emma Frye, children of German emigrants, rose from humble beginnings to prominence in Seattle's business, social and cultural circles, leaving a legacy of art through the free public art museum named for them. Born Oct. 25, 1858 at Davenport, Iowa, Charles was the son of a brick mason who came from Hanover, Germany to America. Emma was the daughter of the local grain elevator owner. Young Charles worked his father's farm and once won the Scott County corn husking championship. Charles joined in the western migration of the late 1800s with his younger brother Frank and with Charles Bruhn, a childhood friend. Together they began cattle ranching in Montana and opened a meat market in 1884. A year later, Charles asked Emma to join him and they were married May 30, 1885. However, the winter of 1886-87 was devastating for Montana ranchers, temperatures dropped to 60 below, cattle froze to death and drought conditions followed. The Fryes moved west to Seattle. In Seattle Charles became a meatpacker. They opened several meat markets finally incorporating in 1891 with a meat packing business built on 15 acres of tide flats. The land later became a valuable industrial and warehousing district, and still is today, in the area known as south Seattle (by the King Dome). The payroll grew from $500 a month to more than $1 million a year. Activities included cattle, sheep, hog and chicken raising in several western states, large scale meat processing and retail sales outlets stretching from California to Alaska. Charles and Emma purchased their first European painting at the Chicago World's Fair in Chicago. The works which they acquired were primarily Munich School paintings dating from 1850 to 1900. The collection grew to more than 230 works and eventually covered every inch of their large Seattle home--one painting was said to be hung over the front of the fireplace because they ran out of room! Seattle's social and civic leaders frequently visited the Frye home where they presented art and musical concert. They had an electric pipe organ installed in their home as home entertainment. Through their love of the arts and music, the Fryes played important roles in shaping Seattle. Charles was a leader in early Seattle political, business and cultural affairs. During the 1920s and 1930s Charles expanded his business further into real estate, industry, farms, ranches gold mines and oil wells. He built a complex of warehouses for such firms as Frigidaire, J.A. Campbell and Buick Motor Co. One of his more adventurous investments was in Monroe Washington, where he bought 2,000 acres of land and cleared it in order to build an industrial scale lettuce farm with processing facilities, six narrow-gage railroad tracks and a plant producing 200 tons of ice per day. He hired 900 workers, including many minorities and women, an unusual labor practice in the 1930s. Charles died on May 1, 1940. Emma died six years earlier. In his will Charles planned for the creation of a museum to house their collection of art. He specified that no admission fee be charged. He wanted everyone to enjoy the collection which he and Emma had created. When the Frye Museum opened on February 8, 1952, a schedule of exhibits, classes, musical events and lectures was instituted. The tradition now continues in new and expanded quarters. Fry Art Museum Catalog AVAILABLE: The extensively illustrated "Handbook of the Collection" is available from the Frye for $10, which includes tax, postage and handling. Published in 1989, it contains a history of the museum, extensive notes on the art and artists represented in the collection and 53 full color reproductions. To purchase a catalog call 206-622-9250 Frye Art Museum Directory For more information on the Frye Art Museum call (206) 622-9250. FAX (206) 223-1707 Mailing address: Charles and Emma Frye Art Museum PO Box 3005 Seattle, WA 98114-3005
This site provided courtesy of Seattle Community Network. Logo, background, and images courtesy of (and copyright-protected by) our main web site, http://www.fryeart.org/ Check out the other sites listed alongside us on SCN's Community Pages under Arts and under Education.