A History of Visual Art in Sarasota.
first edition
University Press of Florida State University System, (2003). First Edition
by Buck, Pat Ringling; Corbino, Marcia; Dean, Kevin.
University Press of Florida State University System, (2003). First Edition. Octavo, cloth & boards (hardcover), 125 pp. Fine in a Near-Fine dust jacket. From dust jacket: Sarasota’s distinction today as a vibrant capital of culture springs from the ambition of a handful of early residents -- celebrities who spearheaded the city’s destiny. Their vision and resources transformed a quaint fishing village on the Gulf coast of Florida into a glamorous resort town respected as an international art center -- a story told here for the first time by three well-known Sarasota residents. The origins of the city’s cultural identity can be traced to the arrival of circus impresario John Ringling, railroad executive Ralph Caples, and socialite Bertha Palmer, who all showcased impressive art collections in their homes. With the establishment of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and the Ringling School of Art, the city became known as a center of visual arts, and a cadre of professional artists who appreciated Sarasota’s magnificent tropical light and landscape set up studios and stayed. Art openings and beaux arts charity balls provided much of the town’s early magic, and the flourishing creative community soon included illustrators, cartoonists, and writers. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Winter Quarters attracted thousands of visitors, including Ernest Hemingway, Bette Davis, Cecil B. DeMille, and Prince Rainier. In the 1960s, Alfred Barr, former director of the Musum of Modern Art in New York, inspired a Fine Arts Institute at New College with Philip Guston, Larry Rivers, and Conrad Marca-Relli among the instructors. In combining historical background with biographical information, the authors have created a colorful canvas that documents the way visual art influenced the growth of the city and continues to define Sarasota’s character today. (Inventory #: 60855bd)