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The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
17 reviews for The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art
I can't say much more than what has been said in other reviews. This place is such a wonderful afternoon escapade. I drove down from Orlando with my sister and we did the full tours of the Ca d'Zan mansion, Circus Museum and Art Museum.
While we were in the art museum we came across a painting of two women and I nudged my sis and said 'they have to be sisters'. In fact, they were the painting is called 'The Sisters' by George Watson. I found a reprint in the gift shop and it's now framed in my house. Everytime I see it, I remember our trip. It was a great time!
Highly recommended!
Doesn't get any better than this. The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art is a must if you're in Sarasota. John Ringling was a man of exquisite taste and desired the best the world had to offer. See this gorgeous mansion, the grounds, the circus museum, the artwork, too much to list. A great way to spend a lazy day in Sarasota. Verdict: 5 stars - easily.
Wow! The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Things that have stayed the same at Ringling:
* Gorgeous art collection- huge Rubens, many baroque portraits and even a few Rembrants, pretty darn good for a private collection amassed by John Ringling while he was oh, running a circus, basically the biggest entertainment show of its time...nothing big....
* Perfectly manicured lawns with huge Banyon Trees gifted to the Ringlings by Thomas Edison dotting the landscape and a huge rose garden in front of the house.
* A great second museum dedicated to Mr. Ringling's amazing traveling show filled with memorabilia from those great ol' days where you would pay a dime to see the world's only bearded lady "right behind this curtain!"
* Some of the nicest docents in any museum.
* Mable Ringling's sick mansion, bringing a little bit of Italy to the shores of Sarasota Bay.
What has changed:
* The lawns are A LOT more manicured and now there are sidewalks everywhere. They have cut out a lot of trees and opened the space up a lot more.
* The Banyon Cafe - what used to be sit-down service that included tea in the middle of a Banyon tree grove is now a grab-and-go place. They have added another restaurant in the front but it lacks the personality the cafe once had.
* The price -- it used to be donation but now has gone up to 20 dollars for the general public. Seems a little on the pricey side to me.
* The exhibits : they now have the clout (and maybe this is what you are now paying for) to bring in exhibits like what I saw yesterday - a huge collection of kimonos from the 20s and 30s and the Egyptian exhibit from the Brooklyn Museum.
Despite the loss of the cafe and the up in the price I still say it represents Sarasota's culture to the fullest -both past, present and now more of the future.
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5/21/2007
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Southwest Florida is not the place that you would go to see fine art or think about fine art or look for fine art. Southwest Florida is full of transplants from Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Alabama, and other states that are art-limited.
HOWEVER, Sarasota is a real art community and this Museum shows that off very well. In fact, Sarasota looks more like San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle than any other Florida city I have visited. It's modern, hip and beautiful.
So if you are in Sarasota, please take the time to visit Ringling. You will really enjoy it, especially on Free Mondays. Plus, the exhibits don't stay the same, they change all of the time so you can keep up with it and view different things as they rotate.
And obviously the clown museum is a key see as well as the back patio that looks out over the beautiful Sarasota Bay. Make the trip, educate yourself a little, especially if you are a local.
I had just an ok time here. The stroll through the circus museum was at times distrubing when viewing how the animals were treated. And how people with disabilities were exploited. The miniture circus personifies an obsessive personality gone haywire. Certainly, does depict a bygone era. Thank goodness. Also bypass the rose garden in the shape of a wagon wheel. Nothing really to see. However, the works of art are amazing and the art museum alone is worth the price and the trip, As is the Ringling mansion. So 2 stars for the circus and garden, 5 stars for the art, 4 for the mansion. That boils down to a 3 star experience.
As far as the art goes, you're going to get the standard historic paintings, small collection of Egyptian artifacts etc. What to really mention about the museum is it's FREE on Mondays and that's really a deal when they have a special collection come in like John Singer Sargeant or the Asian show that was touring.
The real delight of the Museum is the location and beautiful outdoor setting and the architecture and the details of the wrought iron lamps and stained glass windows. It's cool to just walk around and check out what's going on and who's walking around. It's not unusual to see kids from New College or Ringling doing landscape there.
You used to be able to climb the banyan trees but shithead kids carving their name in them ruined that for everyone.
I can't review the Circus Museum/Clown College as I hate clowns and you'll never get me into it.
Ca d'Zan has been freshly rennovated and is worth a look as well.
These museums are the cultural highlight of the Sarasota area. Or, in other words-- this is just about all there is....(minus a few galleries and the scattered oddly shaped monuments around town...)
If you wish to take a break from the beaches and enjoy some good old air-conditioned history speak, trust that this is the spot for you!
Check out the miniature circus exhibit and note that the man who did it took 50+ years to put it together. Craaazy!!!
The Ringling museum is the closest thing to "real art" in the Tampabay area or within 500 miles probably.
The museum is wonderful and there are plenty of things to do here, not "just" look at art. However, for the art fans, this is real stuff. Famous artists, beautiful pieces, old paintings, the works.
The clown museum is a blast too. It's amazing the work that was done to create it from one man.
It's the kind of place you can go once every year or two and still enjoy it every time.
I went with my father and it was beaufitul. My favorite part was definately the mansion and next the limited time egyptian exibit. The only thing is I thought $19/person was a little much. If you wanted a private tour, I believe it was an additional $20/person. They also had one of the art rooms closed due to replacing the air conditioner and a few rooms had plastic all over the art so it was a little difficult to appreciate. Hopefully they have everything fixed by now. The temperatures varied fom room to room from hot to fridgid by the end of the art museum. Over all though it was a good experiance.
Let me save you some of your valued time. How John and Mable Ringling spent their money is far more interesting than the miniature circus display and glorified circus history told by way of plaques and short films. Having said that, of the 15 possible places to visit on the estate you need only see 4: The Museum of Art (get a docent to guide you through the over 20 galleries of Renaissance and Baroque paintings), which can feel overwhelming for those who aren't art history majors or envious collectors. Mable Ringling's Rose garden should be seen in April early May during its fully bloomed glory before it's burned to death by August and September heat. If you visit in August and September save yourself from potential sun stroke during garden exposure and allow the friendly, should be retirees to take you to and fro air-conditioned buildings. The Ca d' Zan mansion which in Venetian translates to house of John. You must see this. You don't need to spend an extra $20 per ticket to see the behind the velvet ropes tour of this man's castle unless your curiosity is getting the better of you. If the Asolo Theater has a performance, see it - definitely.
If you get hungry or thirsty visit the Banyan Cafe and forgo dining at Treviso unless you must, but honestly, there are better places in the city to suppress hunger than at the museum.
If you have worldly children, they may appreciate the Ringling Estate. If you have fidgeting children or children with ADHD it's best for your sanity and theirs to find another activity. Honestly the bulk of visitors were older than I and the one group of school children and their teachers on field trip had difficulty not touching the goods even after the staff's repeated pleading.
I think this is one of the better tourist-y things to do in Sarasota. I like all 3 of the museums, but the Ca d' Zan mansion is my personal favorite. I was standing on the back patio of this very mansion (which looks out over the bay) when I saw my first manatee! Seriously though - if you haven't gone. Check it out and see what part of it is YOUR favorite.
Much like the J Paul Getty Museum (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) in Los Angeles, the buildings and grounds here are as impressive as the stunning collections they contain. Founded in 1927, and now affiliated with Florida State University, this official state art museum consists of three main structures - with a total of twenty-one galleries - situated on sixty-six impeccably landscaped waterfront acres that include a renowned, award-winning rose garden. On display in the Museum of Art are oils, pen-and-ink sketches, photographs, sculptures, and decorative objects such as plates and urns dating from centuries back to the present era. Ca d'Zan - "House of John" - was inspired by two of Venice's grandest hotels, the Danieli and the Bauer-Grunwald, and served as winter home to the couple, who decorated it in a style nearly as ornate and lavish as that of Hearst Castle (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) in San Simeon. The Circus Museum, with its Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey memorabilia, will charm children of all ages. A prerequisite gift shop stocks books, posters and prints, assorted tchotchkes, T-shirts and caps, and circus-related merchandise, and the Banyan Cafe offers reasonably priced soups, salads, light entrees, and desserts. Educational and cultural programs include lectures, childrens' workshops, classical concerts in the courtyard, and a social evening on the third Thursday of each month. Plan on spending the better part of the day here in order to absorb all the complex has to offer, and be sure to take advantage of at least one of the docent-guided tours..
I know what you're thinking...Sarasota, Floridia?...I know! That is what I thought too...how in the world could there possibly be a museum of this magnitude in Sarasota...let alone why would I be in Sarasota...that my friends is a story for another day.
The whole experience is worth it especially if you love art. The Ringling's (think clowns and poodles doing tricks and you've got it!) John and Mabel amassed a huge collection of rare European paintings as well as Cypriot antiquities, Asian Art, American paintings, and of course a bit of contemporary art (to them!). So if you're a Peter Paul Rubens fan...what'r you waiting for book that ticket...they've got 9, that is nine PPR's - and they're not of the typical fleshy cherubic bouncing baby angels variety...
They also have this miniature circus replica. I, who am rarely at a loss for words and can explain anything am almost having a moment without words...this thing is unreal! It is e v e r y t h i n g you could remotely think of as being connected to a circus...only tiny. I mean the artists didn't miss the tiny little spikes that are on an old telephone pole to allow the tech to climb up! Not that I'm in to spikes or anything but this is a real live and functioning circus from the moment they arrive by train to the tents the eat and live in...including tiny suitcases...the ticket taker even has money in his drawer...but it's closed. Gives new meaning to "detail oriented" doesn't it...
But seriously ya'll this place is worth the visit...and there isn't much else to do in Sarasota so get your butt over there.
This museum complex has an outstanding circus museum,the splendid home of the Ringlings,and a fine art museum,especially strong in Baroque Period paintings.Artists well-represented include;Giovanni Dei Biondo,Piero Di Cosimo,Saint Severin Master,Titian,Frans Hals,Peter Paul Rubens,Jordaens,G.Ferretti,and Boudin.Personal favorites at this art museum are;Hendrik C.Van Vliet's"Church Interior,Leiden",Jordaens'"Naomi and Ruth",J.Stella's"King Candaeles Showing Gyges His Wife",Piero Di Cosimo's"Building Palace",Rubens'"Triumph of Divine Love",and Boudin's"Marine Scene".The admission is somewhat higher than other art museums in Florida.Nevertheless,it is worth it.I have spent many enjoyable hours improving my knowledge of art and history at the Ringling Art Museum.
A taste of Renaissance Italy amidst the mellow sleepy Old Florida city of Sarasota. The artwork is extensive yet not too impressive, but the grounds of the courtyard and the Ca d'Zan are AMAZING! If you remember the old house scene of Miss Haversham in Great Expectations with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, you might recognize the Ca d'Zan ballroom and its outdoor terrace.
I have been to the Ringling Estate three times now. I have never been disappointed. They have a marvelous collection of art - most of which belonged to John and Mable Ringling as part of their private collection. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous with banyon trees, sprawling lawns, a rose garden, and a breath taking view of the Gulf of Mexico. If you are ever in Sarasota, and you are willing to pay the $19 entrance fee, you must visit the Ringling Museum.
This is a very good museum. I love the art and the Renaissance architecture. The Circus museum was so cool and i never even really liked circuses!
