On Saturday I visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum at Seattle Center, where the Space Needle is located, and as several of the glass exhibits had a coastal / ocean theme I thought I would do a quick post on coastal inspired art.  Given the amount of time I have spent on the coast in Maine, highlighting the Farnsworth Art Museum makes sense where through year end they are focusing on the watercolors of Andrew Wyeth in celebration of the centennial year of his birth.  And later this month the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) will also pay homage to him.

Growing up in the Boston area I spent plenty of time at the Museum of Fine Arts and Peabody Essex Museum scouring the maritime collections.  Something about the coast has drawn artists for centuries and Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine is no different. And while I haven't been there, I have heard great things about the Maritime Art Gallery at Mystic Seaport. 

Unfortunately this is the extent of my personal experience and knowledge, but have to assume there are some amazing museums and galleries on both coasts with great art focusing on the beach and ocean.  In Googling "maritime art collections" one of the surprise top results was the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.  However, given the proximity of Lake Superior this probably shouldn't be that surprising.  And when Googling "beach art", no well regarded museum is returned in the results, but know there are numerous galleries across the country with tremendous collections here.