John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Art museum in Sarasota, United States
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is an art museum in Sarasota in the United States with more than ten thousand objects, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, and decorative arts. The complex includes the main building with the art galleries, a circus museum, the Ca' d'Zan mansion, the historic Asolo Theater, and newer pavilions for reception and education.
John Ringling hired architect John H. Phillips in 1925, and construction began on 27 June 1927 on a dredged and filled site at Shell Beach. The museum opened briefly in 1930 and 1931 before its official opening on 17 January 1932. Ringling died in 1936, leaving the property, collection and a $1.2 million endowment to the people of Florida; the state prevailed in court in 1946. Florida State University took over in 2000, and a $76 million expansion was completed in January 2007.
The collection of European painting from medieval times to modern art fills twenty-one rooms, where Flemish and Italian masters also hang on the walls. Visitors can move freely through the air-conditioned galleries and spend several hours among the canvases.
The Ringling estate covers 66 acres along Sarasota Bay, with the art museum, Ca' d'Zan, the Circus Museum and the Asolo Theater in separate buildings. Paths between them run outdoors, so allow half a day or more and wear comfortable shoes. The museum building is U-shaped around a courtyard with copies of Michelangelo's David and two monumental fountains.
The art library holds ninety thousand volumes on art history, architecture, fashion, and theater and serves researchers and students. The reading room is accessible by appointment and offers access to rare catalogs and historical journals.
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