7 Astounding Yet True Facts About the Henry

FACT: Founded in 1927, the Henry is the oldest public art museum in Washington State. Take that, SAM!

FACT: Horace C. Henry was fond of French and American landscape paintings. He founded the Henry with his 172-piece collection, a hefty endowment, and his OK for the museum to move beyond the works he'd collected and showcase contemporary art. Fellow museum founders the Fryes, on the other hand, required their museum to display the works they'd collected for all time.

FACT: Carl Gould, the architect for the original Henry building, founded the University of Washington's architecture department. And that original building was supposed to be the first piece of a larger complex, a vision left unfulfilled until the expansion opened in '97.

FACT: The Bellevue Film Festival kicked off in 1967, screening experimental films. Festival judge Ernest Callenbach, editor of Film Quarterly, opted not to cross the lake, watching all 84 entries in the basement of the Henry. The $1000 grand prize went to O, un film de Chicago's Tom Palazzolo.

FACT: In 1997, Joseph and Elaine Monsen donated over 250 photographs to the Henry, helping make it a premier photography museum in the northwest. By 2006 they'd donated 985, including photos by Andy Warhol, Diane Arbus, Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, Andres Serrano, Margaret Bourke-White, and Walker Evans.

FACT: Everyone calls it the skyspace, but James Turrell's installation is actually named Light Reign. Turrell's created over 20 skyspaces around the country, inspired by his earliest memory: lying in his crib watching light on the ceiling. Light Reign has hosted a Quaker meeting and made a cameo appearance in a Strangercrombie package.

FACT: The museum goes by Henry. Its blog goes by Hank. It might have to yell at you if you call it the HAG.

Jessiqua's "Skyspace" comes from the Seattlest Flickr pool. Thanks!