The Ringling

In 1911, the circus owner John Ringling and his wife, Mable, purchased 20 acres of waterfront property in Sarasota, Florida. Today, the Venetian-style mansion they built, alongside a fine art museum, a circus museum and a jewel-box of a theater, welcome visitors from around the globe. Affiliated with Florida State University, it is one of the largest complexes of its kind in the United States. The museum opened in 1931 featuring important works by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Diego Velázquez, Titian, Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, El Greco and Thomas Gainsborough. A generous gift from noted Asian art collector and philanthropist Dr. Helga Wall-Apelt substantially bolstered the museum’s Asian art collection. In addition, animating the courtyard are casts of original antiquities and Renaissance sculptures, including the towering “David” by Michelangelo. Special exhibitions are featured in The Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing, which opened in February 2007.