Albert Bierstadt, Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast, 1870. The painting is one of the most novel subjects of Albert Bierstadt career. Image courtesy of Seattle Art Museum
Albert Bierstadt, Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast, 1870. The painting will be loaned to the Clark Art Institute after Seattle Art Museum lost a wager based on the result of Super Bowl XLIX between New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Image courtesy of Seattle Art Museum
BY KAZAD
SEATTLE– Seattle Art Museum (SAM) has lost its wager with New England’s Clark Art Institute. Caught in the excitement of Super Bowl XLIX, the two museums agreed to wager major works of art from their collections on the outcome of the game. The game which has been described as the most watched in the history of broadcasting ended 28- 24 in favor of New England Patriots. With the win, New England Patriots not only won the Lombardi Trophy for their State, but also the opportunity to enjoy an exceptional work of art from the Seattle Art Museum collection. Titled Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast 1870, the painting by Albert Bierstadt provides a spectacular eight-foot-wide view of Puget Sound. Wagered by Kimerly Rorschach, SAM’s Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO, the piece is one of the most celebrated paintings in the SAM’s American art collection. The painting will be shipped to New England’s Clark Art Institute all expense paid by SAM. Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast will be on display for three months.
This is not the first time the Seattle Art Museum has entered into a wager with another museum. In 2014, the museum agreed to a wager with Denver Art Museum to loan a major work of art from their collection based on the result of Super Bowl XLVIII between Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. The Seahawks won that game and Denver Art Museum had to loan its priced sculpture to Seattle Art Museum. This year, however, Seattle was not so lucky. When the Seattle Seahawks fell in the highly contested and contentious Super Bowl XLIX to New England Patriots, they not only lost the game, they also dragged their great museum with them. While there is great celebration at the Clark Art Institute, administrators at the Seattle Art Museum are busy preparing to ship Albert Bierstadt’s Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast to the New England’s Clark Art Institute.
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