SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.- The Seattle Art Museum presents "Hero/Antihero," on view through August 17, 2003. At different times, the Lone Ranger, Muhammad Ali, and George Washington have all been called American heroes--and antiheroes. People who become larger than life in the minds of the public inevitably inspire fascination as well as skepticism. This exhibition, drawn from SAM¹s permanent collection as well as local private collections, will present faces and figures that have been deemed heroes by different cultures for different reasons. From Japan, a young prince named Shotoku, who has been honored for centuries in sculpture and on bank-notes, is featured in comics as his character has shifted to suit modern images. From Rome, a marble portrait of Emperor Claudius commemorates a man whose life enacted a memorable quest for heroism. A warrior figure represents the ancient Mayans, for whom the first recognizable sign of a hero was the ability not to be fooled. Is it possible to define a vision of the hero that moves beyond the cliché and into a search for the universal qualities that make the hero endure? Selections from Indian, Polynesian, African, Native American, and contemporary art will further expand preconceived concepts of hero/antihero, the illusory persona who can fulfill our expectations as conqueror of evil, rescuer of the oppressed, and humble everyman/woman who lives a life of contentment.