As we drove into the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art complex we were confronted by a massive formal concrete building. The facade was beautifully dressed with three magnificent arches, but the rest of the building had no windows. To the left was a huge parking lot, and beyond that was another huge building. Written across the top were the words "Florida State University School of Performing Arts." Ringling and Barnum are circus names, so this was unexpected and not the only surprise of the day.
We were told to first visit the Ca d’Zan, Ringling’s home, when we purchased our tickets inside the building. We had noticed that the trams were driving guests around the complex, so we visited the home and then returned to the museum later. It's really difficult not to spend too much time in the gift shop. A guided tour was in progress, but we decided to go on our own because it was getting late and there was so much to see.
Starting in the galleries to the north, the oldest paintings and works of art were set up according to their country of origin. We were confronted with five ceiling-to-floor, wall-to-wall, oil on canvas paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, known as the The Triumph of the Eucharist. I thought they might be copies but the guard assured me they were originals. Each room is set up with large plaques that tell about the artist and explain what you’re viewing. The lucky people in Sarasota, and all of Florida, have access to a museum that is equal to an art appreciation course in most colleges—only here you’re not just talking and reading about it, you’re seeing it first-hand.
In the next gallery, I immediately notice two wall-to-wall plaques by Andre Della Robia which were certainly not inexpensive acquisitions. John Ringling, and his wife Mable, had collected all the items on display and put up that huge building to house them. He had the kind of money and influence to assure the collections were of museum quality. Although his was the top circus performance in the country at that time, he dedicated much of his time, talent, and money to those collections and then willed his entire estate to the State of Florida with the stipulation that none of it could ever be traded or sold.
We continued touring the north galleries and then crossed the bridge to the south galleries. A special collection by photographer Ansel Adams was on display. Again, it was beautifully done and the presentation was excellent. It is a must-see for aspiring photographers, and there’s a lot more in the south section of the museum. The courtyard, a loggia on three sides and a bridge on the forth, has a full size replica of Michelangelo’s David, and there’s a formal garden filled with works of art.
From journal Three Ringling Circus