Hue Amour

I did another museum tour this week at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.  This circus tycoon’s estate was brilliant.  Sarasota became the winter grounds for the Ringling circus in 1927 and it was John and Mable’s successful intention to bring a new flourishing of life and culture to this beautiful seaside city.  On the grounds was not only John and Mable’s private residence coined “Ca’ D’Zan” translating to “The House of John”, but one of the Country’s most magnificent private art collection hosted at the Ringling Museum of Art.  The home was completed in 1926 and the museum opened in 1931.  I heard great things about this place but the building design and decor blew me away.

The home was designed by New York Architect Dwight James Baum in Venetian Gothic style with the interior styled in similar Gothic appeal.  There were two details about the home that I loved most.  One was the stained glass windows.  These gorgeous windows adorned every room in the home.  Even though they were colorful with greens, blues, reds and purples, it was subtle enough that it was not overdone and only reminisced in the slightest and best way the vibrancy of the circus  (I have no idea if they were going for this effect or not).  My second favorite part was the mint green painted walls in the kitchen and pantry.  I fell in love with this subtle tinted green and how it showed off next to the white porcelain wash basins, creamy cupboards, stainless steel washing surfaces, and black and white checkered marble flooring.   It was the perfect touch of early-century modern but smoothly worked into the Gothic design throughout the rest of the home.  OK – I have to throw in one more sweet point that I loved: The Tap Room.  This is where they must have gotten wasted, if they did that sort of thing.  I’ve never wanted my own private bar room in my home until seeing this one.

Onto the Museum.  The works of art in this place is something superb and rare in itself.  Too bad I got distracted with the beauty of the interior detail and especially the Renaissance room that was painted in a rich teal color that I wanted to melt and die in.  The space reminded me of old European museums where the rooms themselves are full of color, character, and wood…something I find more and more rare in modernly built museums that seem to like a stale white canvas from floor to ceiling.  I did not see one single room that was all white.  Albeit, I ran out of time to walk the entire 160K+ sq. ft museum.  Crap, I got a good work out.  I loved that walking from one space to the next you would feel as if you’re walking into another world not only due to the change of art displayed but the walls themselves bid you in and farewell with rich textured wallpapers in variety of colors, gold leaf stencil, and unique marble and carved wood columns at many entrances.

Add the Ringling Museum of Art to your Must-See-Places-Before-You-Die.