The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida, was built in Sarasota to house John Ringling’s art collection, and officially opened to the public in 1931. Designed by the architect John H. Phillips, this pink palace built in the Renaissance style using architectural elements brought to Florida from Europe contains 21 galleries housing masterpieces by Rubens, Van Dyck, Veronese, Velázquez, El Greco, Tiepolo and Gainsborough. It is also home to period rooms moved from the Gilded Age Astor Mansion in New York City and a villa in the Tuscan countryside. The galleries encircle a courtyard punctuated by early 20th-century bronze and stone casts of iconic Classical, Renaissance and Baroque sculptures, including Michelangelo’s David from Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. This beautifully designed book celebrates the remarkable masterworks of John Ringling’s collection, their magical Italianate yet tropical setting and Ringling’s philanthropic legacy, which sought to bring a glimpse of the world’s great cultural treasures to the people of Florida. Virginia Brilliant is Associate Curator of European Art at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.