Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota FL

The collection at this art museum is one of the most impressive ones that I've personally visited. It was built by John Ringling to house his personal collection of masterpieces. It opened in October of 1931. It features paintings and sculptures by the great Old Masters including Rubens, van Dyck, Velázquez, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, El Greco, Gainsborough and more. Is this is what is meant by the phrase "Life imitating art"? The Courtyard of the Museum of Art features casts of original antiquities and renaissance sculptures, including the towering David by Michelangelo. The Courtyard features two fountains - Fountain of Tortoises, one of three replicas from the Piazza Mattei in Rome, and the Oceanus Fountain, copied from the 16th century original by Giovanni Bologna in Florence’s Boboli Gardens.
I hope to return and be able to spend more time in the art museum and do the audio tour.

0 comments: