Ringling Museum of Art

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was created by John Ringling for the people of Florida. Collecting for the Museum from 1924 to 1931, Ringling and his wife gathered important works by major artists of 1500-about 1750. Their Old Master collection, taking in approximately 750 paintings, is the most important of the Museum's holdings; some of the rarest and most celebrated Italian paintings in the country are contained within the collection. The museum's permanent collection now consists of over 10,000 objects from worldwide ancient through contemporary periods, housed in several buildings on the Ringling's 31-acre bayfront Sarasota estate. The estate also encompasses Ringling's circa 1924 mansion, C d'Zan, built in 1927. Ringling also later established the circus winter quarters in Sarasota. Included on the estate are the Banyan Caf, two gift shops, and acres of parkland and gardens shaded by Banyan and palm trees.