Frye Art Museum

The Frye Art Museum is a free art museum at 704 Terry Avenue on First Hill in Seattle, Washington. It was founded from the collection of Charles and Emma Frye, Seattle residents who gathered a large number of 19th- and early 20th-century paintings, particularly from the Munich school. The founding collection is displayed in a salon-style hang, with works stacked closely on coloured walls much as the Fryes arranged them in their home. The museum also presents contemporary art, with changing exhibitions that regularly draw on regional and international artists, and a programme of performances, lectures and films. The building is a low, quiet space organised around galleries and a courtyard, and the atmosphere is calm compared with larger museums. Admission is free, and the museum is generally open Tuesday to Sunday from about 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with Thursday evenings open until 7:00 PM, and it is closed on Mondays. A visit typically takes one to one and a half hours. Crowds are modest, and weekday afternoons are generally the quietest, while special events and weekends can bring more visitors. The Frye Cafe on site offers light meals. Public transport options include the Seattle Streetcar First Hill line to Terry Avenue and King County Metro Routes 3 or 4. Street parking nearby is limited and paid. The museum sits close to Swedish Hospital and other First Hill institutions, so the surrounding area is largely residential and institutional rather than a tourist district. Visitors interested in art may combine it with the Seattle Art Museum downtown. Check the museum's website for current exhibitions and any changes to hours, which can vary by season.