By far, the Sarasota sight that was at the top of my list to visit was The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art. I have read about this museum for years, and the more I’ve read, the more I had to see it for myself. It did not disappoint.
ABOUT
From Wikipedia
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the official state art museum of Florida,[2] located in Sarasota, Florida.[3] It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Florida State University assumed governance of the museum in 2000.[4]
The institution offers 21 galleries of European paintings as well as Cypriot antiquities and Asian, American, and contemporary art. The museum’s art collection currently consists of more than 10,000 objects that include a variety of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs, and decorative arts from ancient through contemporary periods and from around the world. The most celebrated items in the museum are 16th–20th-century European paintings, including a collection of Peter Paul Rubens paintings.[5] Other artists represented include Benjamin West, Marcel Duchamp, Mark Kostabi, Diego Velázquez, Paolo Veronese, Rosa Bonheur, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Giuliano Finelli, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Frans Hals, Nicolas Poussin, Joseph Wright of Derby, Thomas Gainsborough, Eugène Boudin, and Benedetto Pagni.
In all, more than 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) have been added to the campus, which includes the art museum, circus museum, and Ca’ d’Zan, the Ringlings’ mansion, which has been restored, along with the historic Asolo Theater. New additions to the campus include the McKay Visitor’s Pavilion, the Kotler-Coville Glass Pavilion exhibiting studio glass art, the Johnson-Blalock Education Building housing The Ringling Art Library and Cuneo Conservation Lab, the Tibbals Learning Center complete with a miniature circus, the Searing Wing, a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) gallery for special exhibitions attached to the art museum, the Chao Center for Asian Art, and the Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art.
We started with the Art Museum. The Ringling’s spared no expense in creating their vision for a world-class art museum. The Mediterranean-style Palazzo, now considered one of the 20 largest art museums in North America (after a 2007 renovation) consists of the original 21 galleries, one leading into the next, each one filled with some of the best examples of European art from the medieval period through the 19th Century. I felt like I was back in Europe, touring the best of Italy, Spain and France’s cultural institutions. How could one American couple accumulate such vast collections and create equally impressive homes to house these collections? Mind boggling. Equally mind boggling was the Ringling’s wish to gift the State of Florida their entire estate for the benefit of the public to enjoy.
Following is only a fraction of what the museum offers (click on arrow below right for a slide show). And the museum is only one of many other sights to see on this vast campus. One would have to plan a visit (or several visits) to experience the full effect.
CA ‘ D’ZAN (House of John)
On a second visit, we toured Ca’ d’Zan, John & Mable Ringling’s opulent winter home. Built in the mid-1920’s as the winter retreat for the Ringling’s, this Mediterranean revival residence encompasses 36,000 square feet and 56 rooms, many of which overlook Sarasota Bay, the body of water it sits on. The palatial mansion was inspired by two of the Ringling’s favorite Venetian hotels, the Danieli and The Bauer Grunwald. Completed in 1926 and restored in 2002, the second floor was closed for renovations (during our visit) after recent hurricane damage. But the first floor was open for visitors, offering a glimpse into the fabulous lifestyle the Ringling’s enjoyed during the Roaring 20’s.
A peek follows:
The Circus Museums
The Circus Museum’s extensive collections are exhibited through two different buildings: the Historic Circus Galleries and the Tibbal’s Learning Center, where visitors are able to take a walk back into circus history through the vast collection of vintage posters, newspaper clippings, commentary, costumes, circus equipment, props, photographs, and memorabilia that the museum has collected and preserved over the years.
Included within these walls is The Howard Bros. Circus model, the worlds largest miniature circus modeled after the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus at its height and taking up 3,800 square feet of space, capturing every detail it possibly could and bringing back a flood of memories for those who are able to remember when the circus came to town, so many years ago.
The Ringling Grillroom
The Ringling Grillroom is a highly-regarded modern American restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch in a Contemporary setting on the ground floor of the McKay Visitor’s Pavilion at the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art. It is open to museum visitors as well as to the general public. We had a lovely lunch there after exploring the museum grounds and exhibits.
Besides The Grillroom, The Ringling also offers Starbucks beverages and lighter fare at Mable’s Coffee & Tea Shop on the second floor of the McKay Visitor’s Pavilion. As well, visitors will find Concession stands offering fresh made salads, sandwiches and other treats strategically scattered throughout the grounds.
When to Visit
The Ringling Museum is open every day from 10am-5pm, with the last entry being 30 minutes prior to closing. On Thursday nights, the Museum of Art & Bayfront Gardens are open from 5pm to 8pm.
The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.
Parking is free and available on both sides of the drive approaching the Museum.
MEMBERSHIP
After our second visit to the museum we ended up inquiring about and purchasing museum memberships. Membership pays for itself within a few visits and there are discounts for members in the Grillroom, Coffee Shop & Museum Store. We have yet to return and tour the gardens. As well, the museum offers a continuous calendar of new exhibitions, lectures, special events and programs, which you can keep apprised of through their newsletter.
So glad to have found this gem of a destination. Worth the trip, especially for arts and history enthusiasts.
The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art
5401 Bay Shore Road
Sarasota, Florida 34243
941-359-5700
