The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota is the state art museum of Florida. At the time of my visit, it is undergoing major renovations. Sadly, its Hopper watercolor ‘Jenness House Looking North’ (1934) is packed deep in storage and unavailable for viewing. Instead, I pore over the watercolor’s correspondence and papers. These offer a fascinating view of Hopper’s life in Cape Cod.
Florida
Norton Museum: August in the City
One of the cornerstones of Ralph Norton’s collection is ‘August in the City’ (1945). Norton purchased ‘August in the City’ from the Rehn Gallery in 1947 and bequeathed it to the museum.
West Palm Beach: Rich and Contrived
Compared to Melbourne, West Palm Beach feels like New York. And compared to the Brevard Museum, the Norton Museum of Art feels like the Museum of Modern Art.
Brevard Museum: Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is located on the Space Coast of Florida just south of Cape Canaveral. Although it bears scant relation, it is named after Melbourne, Australia. Similarly, Melbourne’s Brevard Museum of Art and Science bears little resemblance to the museums we have visited.
