Art Historian Natasha Schlesinger advises travelers to limit the number of galleries they visit. She warns that more than TEN in one day will lead to blurring. I’m blurred after one but do believe that important art galleries should be included in travel itineraries. One gallery in the Northwest that I really like is TAM, the Tacoma Art Museum, and USA Today agrees with me. It has called it one of the top places to see art in the United States’ smaller cities.
TAM is expanding thanks to Rebecca Benaroya. Becky and her husband Jack amassed a fine collection of art glass, paintings and sculptures during their 70-year marriage, and she has given it to TAM along with funds to help build a new gallery to show it. TAM has already had a since-closed preview that included about 60 of the pieces. The Benaroya gift includes 225 works, and the new gallery will open in the fall of 2018 if all goes well.
In the meantime, stop in if you’re in Tacoma because already opened and staying until January 7, 2018, is an excellent show Ruth & I saw in Houston a couple of days before the exciting 2017 Superbowl. “Two Centuries of American Still-Life Painting” sounds kind of dull but isn’t. I didn’t blur one time.
Also check out the rooms devoted to TAM’s permanent collection. Founded almost 80 years ago, TAM has grown to 4,500 works; 3,000 of them are by Northwest artists like Dale Chihuly. Always on view in TAM is the largest collection of his art glass on continuous display in any museum. I also like TAM’s western, Native American, and regular American art that is relatively permanent. I also like the fine view of Mount Rainier from a few of its windows on a clear day.
Hank