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Collection Resources​​​​

About SAM's Collection

The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) collects and exhibits objects from across cultures, exploring the connections between past and present. Currently the collection consists of over 25,000 objects.

We are happy to provide additional rich information to help you better understand our collection. Here, you will find material about SAM’s acquisition and deaccession process, provenance research and resources, and online publications.

Learn more

​Additional materials to help you understan​d the art at SAM and in your life can be found within Libraries & Resources.​

The growth of SAM’s permanent collections through acquisitions is an essential part of the museum’s activities and mission. The museum regularly acquires new works of art for our collections through gifts, purchases, and bequests, pursuant to the terms of SAM’s Collections Management Policy. Upon the recommendation of SAM's Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO and curatorial staff, all acquisitions are rigorously reviewed by the Committee on Collections and recommended to the Board of Trustees for their review and approval. The Board of Trustees holds the authority to approve acquisitions. Every two years SAM celebrates new purchases and gifts to the collection and honors the many generous contributions from donors that make the continued growth of SAM's collection possible.

Acquisitions are determined by a number of criteria, including but not limited to: significance of the object; authenticity and provenance (history of ownership); relevance to SAM’s collecting strategy and existing holdings; condition; quality; exhibition and publication history; storage costs and long-term maintenance. SAM adheres to the Code of Ethics as outlined in the Association of Art Museum Directors’ (AAMD) Professional Practices in Art Museums.

COLLECTION PRACTICES AND PROVENANCE

SAM recognizes that collecting histories can be inextricable from global histories of imperialism, colonialism, and other inequitable structures. SAM is committed to engaging in legal and ethical collection practices, conducting thorough provenance research in all areas of the collection, and being transparent about the results of this research with the public. SAM’s research into the histories of works in its collection with unclear provenance is an ongoing process, and available provenance information for these artworks can be accessed through the museum’s Collections page. These records are regularly reviewed and updated as new information becomes available.

SAM has over 25,000 artworks in its permanent collection, acquired since 1933 through donations and purchases. While most works of art in SAM’s collection were not acquired under inequitable conditions, it is our duty to recognize when they were. Many works in SAM’s collection were collected and exported legally, with permission of local governments and cultural authorities. Some were purchased legally, though the conditions of sale can be seen as inequitable today. Others were created as commissioned works in collaboration with SAM. For objects that have been documented as—or if there is persuasive evidence of—having been taken through violent or inequitable means, SAM is in the process of noting this information in the provenance listing, and/or attempting to consult with the appropriate individuals or communities of origin; this is a long-term, ongoing process.

Researching and sharing these complex stories is central to SAM’s mission. Towards the goal of transparent and ethical collecting and display practices, SAM pledges to continue to conduct thorough provenance research and continue to work with communities of origin with regards to the care, presentation, and management of culturally sensitive artworks. We consider shared authority for research, interpretation, and display as a primary objective for our collection held in public trust.

We welcome new information about the history of works in SAM’s collection. If you have any questions or information about a work of art in SAM’s collection, please feel free to email us.

POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

SAM’s Collections Management Policy is guided by all applicable laws, and best practice guidelines issued by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD).

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

SAM recognizes tribal rights of self-determination in regards to the control of human remains, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. NAGPRA provides a legal mechanism for federally recognized Indian Tribes, including Alaska Native villages (as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act), and Native Hawaiian Organizations to make claims for human remains and certain categories of cultural objects held by museums and other institutions that receive federal funding.

SAM is committed to working with Tribes in the process to bring the museum in alignment with NAGPRA regulations and in accordance with our policies around transparent and ethical collecting and display practices as well as to further our relationships with communities of origin with regards to the care, presentation, and management of culturally sensitive artworks. SAM pledges to review repatriation claims carefully and thoroughly on a case-by-case basis. The museum has complied with NAGPRA regulations since the law was enacted in 1990 and will continue to do so, including under new guidelines that went into effect January 12, 2024. The museum has been working diligently to review Native American objects on view and ensure that SAM is in alignment with the new regulations.

UNESCO Convention

As a member museum of the AAMD, SAM adheres to the 2004 (updated 2008 and 2013) guidelines on the acquisition of archaeological materials and ancient art. These guidelines use 1970—the date of the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property—as the “threshold for a more rigorous analysis of provenance information” for acquisitions of ancient art and archaeological material. Before acquiring a work of ancient art or archaeological material, in keeping with AAMD guidelines, the museum conducts research to verify that the work was outside its probable country of modern discovery before 1970, or was legally exported from its probable country of modern discovery after 1970. In keeping with AAMD guidelines and the date they went into effect, the below list includes works of ancient art or archaeological material that have been acquired by SAM since June 2008 and lack complete provenance after November 1970.


View Ancient Provenance Works »

Nazi-era Provenance

Adolf Hitler’s rise to power from 1933 to the end of World War II corresponded with an unprecedented campaign to seize and control cultural property across Europe, including but not limited to works of art. From the years 1933 to 1945, a vast number of art objects were systematically confiscated or displaced through looting and forced sales. Although many works of art were returned to their original owners following World War II, many American museums unknowingly received confiscated works of art.

As a result, American and European museums make concentrated efforts to clarify gaps in their provenance records to enable the rightful owners or their descendants to identify—and reclaim—lost works from their collections. Declassification of documents and new databases have aided research and brought much new evidence and information to light. Still, because many records were lost or destroyed, gaps in provenance information are not unusual.

The Seattle Art Museum has a relatively small collection of European art, and research into the histories of these works is an important and ongoing process. The list below includes works of art that have gaps in their provenance and may have been in Europe during the Nazi era (1933–1945). Their presence on this list does not mean that we suspect that the Nazis were involved in their history. These are areas where we are conducting further research to clarify the history of ownership, and we will post new information as it comes to light.


View Nazi-era Provenance Works »

For more information on provenance standards and research in museums, please see:

AAM's Guidelines Concerning the Unlawful Appropriation of Objects During the Nazi Era » ​​

Report of the Association of Art Museum Directors Task Force on the Looting of Art During the Nazi/World War II Era »

International Research Portal for Records Related to Nazi-Era Cultural Property »

Colonial-Era Provenance

One of the clearest examples of colonial exploitation in African art involves the 1897 British “punitive expedition” that confiscated art owned by the Benin Kingdom, senselessly massacred Benin people, destroyed the royal palace, and resulted in the exile of the Oba (or King). In 2021, SAM joined an international effort to enable the Kingdom to learn where the thousands of artworks taken from the palace are now located, registering four artworks in SAM’s collection with the Digital Benin Project—an archive of Benin holdings.

As with other works with colonial-era histories, SAM aims to research and identify objects in the collection that may have been looted, forcibly sold, or stolen during 19th- and 20th-century periods of colonial occupation or conflict. This is an ongoing effort and new information is welcome. If you know of any documentation about objects in SAM’s collection that would assist in this effort, please email us.

DATABASES

AAMD Object Registry

SAM posts information about certain ancient or archaeological works acquired since June 2008 lacking complete provenance after November 1970 on the AAMD Object Registry’s list of New Acquisitions of Archaeological Material and Works of Ancient Art. In addition, the AAMD Object Registry list of Claims for Nazi-Era Cultural Assets provides information on the resolution of formal claims made by AAMD member museums regarding works of art believed to have been stolen by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. As an AAMD member museum, SAM posts works in its collection fitting these descriptions to the AAMD Object Registry.

Nazi-Era Provenance Portal

Sponsored by AAM, the Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal provides a searchable registry of objects in US museum collections that changed hands in Continental Europe during the Nazi era (1933–1945). SAM is a participating museum.

For more information on repatriation and other provenance resources please see:

UNESCO Database of National Cultural Heritage Laws »

This database provides access to the national legislation of each state relating to the cultural heritage in general, contact details for the national authorities responsible for the protection of the cultural heritage, and links to official cultural heritage websites.

Provenance Research at the Getty »
The Getty website provides access to the Getty Provenance Index Databases. The databases contain almost 1,000,000 records that cover the late 16th to early 20th centuries. Also available are a collection of provenance research resources, with a special focus on Holocaust-era research.

International Foundation for Art Research Provenance Guide »
The IFAR provides educational resources and links for conducting provenance research. Also included on the IFAR website are a history of provenance research and its effect on World War II Holocaust-era looted art.

Interpol »
Interpol’s web page on stolen works of art provides information on artwork that has been reported stolen or looted. Interpol also provides details on the most recent stolen works reported and works of art that have been recovered.​

Art Loss Register »
Lost or stolen art can be reported to the Art Loss Register. Visitors who create an account have the opportunity to register their artworks in a pre-loss database. In case of a later loss or theft, they can request a search to see if their item has been recovered.

Cultural Property Advice »
Reports on provenance research for the period 1933–1945 by United Kingdom museums on the spoliation of works of art during World War II and the Holocaust. The artwork records are accessible through a searchable database.

National NAGPRA »
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a federal law passed in 1990 that provides a process for museums and federal agencies to return certain Native American cultural items to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. This site provides access to legal information, FAQs, and databases which provide information on a variety of NAGPRA-related topics.

ERR Project »
The Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) Project database provides access to the remaining registration cards and photographs produced by the ERR, covering more than 20,000 art objects taken from Jews in German-occupied France and, to a lesser extent, in Belgium.

International Research Portal for Records Related to Nazi-Era Cultural Property »
The International Research Portal is a collaboration of national and other archival institutions with records that pertain to Nazi-era cultural property. The portal links researchers to archival materials consisting of descriptions of records and, in many cases, digital images of the records that relate to cultural property that was stolen, looted, seized, forcibly sold, or otherwise. ​​​​​​

Lost Art Database »​
The Lost Art Database is run by the Koordinierungsstelle Magdeburg, Germany’s central office for the documentation of lost cultural property. It registers cultural objects which, as a result of persecution under the Nazi dictatorship and the Second World War, were relocated, moved or seized, especially from Jewish owners during World War II.

Deaccessions

As part of continuous assessment of the collection, SAM may choose to remove an artwork from its collection through an official process called deaccessioning. An artwork might be deaccessioned if the work is poor in quality or poor in physical condition, if the museum holds a better example of the artist or genre, if the museum does not have appropriate context to display the work, if the work is to be repatriated or restored to a previous owner, or for other legitimate reasons.

SAM follows the guidelines established by the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) when deaccessioning artworks. Funds produced from the sale of deaccessioned artworks are used only to acquire new artworks. SAM has published a list of previously deaccessioned artworks below, and this list will be updated regularly as changes to the collection are made.

View deaccessioned artworks

Online Publicat​ions

The following publications focus on the SAM collection and are available for d​ownload, free of charge. Additional collection and exhibition publications are available by contacting the SAM Shop.

You must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to download many of the publications on this page.​

The Online Catalogue of Chinese Painting & Calligraphy

The Online Catalogue of Chinese Painting & Calligraphy

The Online Catalogue of Chinese Painting & Calligraphy makes SAM's collection of these splendid works of art accessible anywhere in the world. This innovative, user-friendly website is free for your viewing, research, and study. Major support for this project provided by the Getty Foundation as part of the Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative (OSCI).

Featuring:

  • Essays by renowned scholars​​

  • Community dialogue forums

  • High-quality images

  • Line-by-line tr​anscriptions

  • Searchable seals

  • Zoom and deep zoom

  • Browse by artist, dynasty, region

  • And more

View Catalogue »

​Guide To The WYCKOFF Porcelain Room

Porcelain Room

Unlike typical museum displays, SAM's new Porcelain Room features roughly 1,000 European and Asian pieces grouped from floor to ceiling by color and scheme. This​​​ presentation evokes a time when porcelain was a highly treasured art and valuable trade commodity. The guide is available for download using the link below, or for purchase in the SAM Shop.

View Porcelain Room Guide (PDF) »

Rich and Diverse Stories from Multiple Perspectives

Rich and Diverse Stories from Multiple Perspectives

In 2007, the museum’s curatorial team debuted new interpretations for 100 objects in the collection. The project, funded by the Getty Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), sought to bring diverse voices into the presentation of the collections, deepening visitors’ understanding of the works of art. Objects are considered from various points of view by art historians, artists, community members, writers, and scholars.

View Collection Objects »

The American Landscape's "Quieter Spirit": Early Paintings by Frederic Edwin Church

A Country Home

An exhibition of this title was on view at the Seattle Art Museum from June 25 to October 16, 2005. To learn about the museum's painting, A Country Home, and works related to it, download the publication for this exhibition.

View Church Exhibition Publication (PDF) »

Burning Issues: Value and Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art

Ancestral Modern

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Ancestral Modern: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan & Levi Collection​, this symposium brought scholars and thinkers from around the world to Seattle. The wide-ranging discussions are captured in this transcript of the proceedings.

View the exhibition catalogue. Optimized for Desktop.

View the Symposium Transcript (PDF) »

Art from Africa: Long Steps Never Broke A Back

Long Steps

Visit the Art from Africa exhibition (2002) website, featuring 10 of the artists and scholars whose voices and experiences provided context for this interactive exhibition.

View Exhibition Site »

Papers from the Masterpieces of Japanese Painting Symposium 

Papers from the Masterpieces of Japanese Painting Symposium

This symposium, held on May 5, 2007, explored the conservation and restoration of the works of art in the exhibition Five Masterpieces of Asian Art.

View Screens from the 16th to 17th Century: Bamboo Grove of Spring and Autumn and Crows (PDF) »

View White Path between Two Rivers: An Excellent Buddhist Painting from the Thirteenth Century (PDF) »

View The Deer Scroll by Koetsu and Sotatsu Reappraised (PDF) »

A Northwest Summer: Six Exhibitions—One Celebration​

NW Summer Festival

This exhibition, drawn mostly from the SAM collection, was held at the Seattle Asian Art Museum from May 4 to October 15, 2006.

View Brochure (PDF) »

Learn More

Read about our latest news, projects, and resources on the SAM Blog.

View Blog

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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