Sarasota day #2 began with a short drive to the John and Mable Ringling Estate and Museum.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was built to hold their art collection and was officially opened to the public in 1931. Designed by architect John H. Phillips, and begun in 1927 but slowed by the Florida land boom collapse, Wall Street's stock market crash, and Mable's death, this pink U-shaped Renaissance style palace contains 21 galleries which hold masterpieces by Peter Paul Rubens, Van Dyck, El Greco, Thomas Gainsborough, and Digeo Velasquez. It is also home to period rooms (the salon and library) moved from the Gilded Age Astor Mansion in NYC and a villa in the Tuscan countryside.
The galleries encircle a courtyard which features an impressive group of early 20th century bronze and stone casts of iconic sculptures, including the towering Michelangelo's David.
The Searing Wing opened in 2007 and includes Ancient, Asian, and modern and contemporary art. A Skyspace is currently under construction which will provide a dazzling experience of light, sky, and color.
In 2000, a new Florida law assigned responsibility for the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art to Florida State University.
