Visual Arts Calendar

Seattle Art Museum "Van Gogh to Mondrian: Modern Art From the Kröller- Müller Museum" offers a rare opportunity to get up close and personal (oh, just elbow your way through the crowds) with some truly great examples of Van Gogh's work. Also on offer in this traveling exhibit from the Netherlands are other exemplars of the modernist movement, including some early Picassos, cubist work by Juan Gris, freaky mythological scenes by Odilon Redon, and pictures by Leger and Seurat. Also on display: The video "Shadow Procession," a recent SAM acquisition by South African artist William Kentridge, is a low-tech shadow parable; "The View From Here" offers selections of Pacific Northwest art from 1870 to 1940; "Modern in America" explores the interaction between photography and the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe, Jasper Johns, and other 20th-century artists; and "Song, Story and Speech" is a multimedia installation exploring how oral tradition is a crucial part of Native Coast Salish culture. 100 University St., 206-654-3100. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thurs.

Seattle Asian Art Museum "Larger than Life Heroes" presents Ukiyo-e and woodblock prints on the subject of sumo wrestling. Yep, sweaty guys in loincloths grappling with each other. Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect Ave., 206-625-8900. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Wed.-Sun.; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thurs.

Tacoma Art Museum TAM's Northwest Annual, this year with the moniker "Buildingwise," is a grab bag of local art, some quite good and some just OK. Standouts in this juried show include a painting and time-lapse video of its creation by Patte Loper, realist paintings thick with queasy pinks and greens by Robert Jones, a couple of clever video installations by Juniper Shuey and Iole Alessandrini, large- scale abstractions by Margie Livingston, and Rachel Brumer's quilts-as-stained-glass. Also on display: "Andy Goldsworthy: Mountain and Coast, Autumn Into Winter" presents photographs from the nature artist's 1987 residency in Japan, plus four sculptures of burnt wood and other natural materials. 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-4258. Every third Thursday free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thurs.; noon-5 p.m. Sun.

Wing Luke Asian Museum The juried exhibit "Beyond Talk: Redrawing Race" attempts to break open the lockbox of dialog on race. 407 Seventh S., 206-623-5124. 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; noon- 4 p.m. Sat.-Sun.