The Henry Art Gallery delivers a direct experience of the art of our time.
The Henry Art Gallery engages diverse audiences in the powerful experience of artistic invention and serves as a catalyst for the creation of new work that inspires and challenges. Exhibitions, collections, and public p... Read more
The Henry Art Gallery delivers a direct experience of the art of our time.
The Henry Art Gallery engages diverse audiences in the powerful experience of artistic invention and serves as a catalyst for the creation of new work that inspires and challenges. Exhibitions, collections, and public programs stimulate research and teaching at the University of Washington, provide a creative wellspring for artists, and reveal a record of modern artistic inquiry from the advent of photography in the mid-19th century to the multidisciplinary art and design of the 21st.
The museum’s exhibitions bring important works of art to Seattle from throughout the world and bring into public view works of art from the Northwest. These exhibitions and their related programs invite dialogue about contemporary culture, politics, aesthetics and the traditions of visual art and design of the last two centuries. Exhibitions at the Henry frequently present recent or newly commissioned work of visually and conceptually challenging artists such as Ann Hamilton (1992), Gary Hill (1994), Kara Walker (1998), Roni Horn (1998), Leone & Macdonald (1999), Josiah McElheny (1998), Jennifer Steinkamp (1999), I√ɬ±igo Manglano-Ovalle (2000) and Tony Oursler (2000). The museum also hosts nationally and internationally touring exhibitions such as DEEP STORAGE, The Arsenal of Memory (1998), Thinking Print (1998), Inside Out: New Chinese Art (1999 – 2000) and Andy Warhol: Drawings, 1942 – 1987 (July 20 – October 8, 2000). The Henry has built a reputation for innovative programming, educational opportunities and diverse film and lecture series. Building on the rich academic culture of the University of Washington and the supportive and highly-involved arts culture of Seattle and the Northwest, the museum fosters collaboration with the public and community groups as well as with students and faculty of the University.The Henry’s permanent collection of over 20,500 objects includes late 19th and 20th century paintings, the extensive Monsen Collection of Photography, and a textile and costume collection, along with a burgeoning collection of cutting-edge works in new media.
Founded in 1927, the Henry was the first public art museum in the state of Washington. The museum’s major renovation and expansion, completed in April 1997, quadrupled the museum’s size – from 10,000 square feet to over 40,000 square feet. Increased size allowed for the addition of a 154-seat auditorium, a multi-media gallery, caf√ɬ©, bookstore and sculpture court along with improved facilities for art handling and storage and collections research. An architectural collage of glass, textured stainless steel and cast stone, designed by Charles Gwathmey, compliments the original red brick collegiate-Gothic structure designed by Carl Gould in the 1920s.
