The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

Profile

John Ringling, one of the five original circus kings of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , was blessed with entrepreneurial genius and through his success with the circus and other investments, became quite wealthy. In 1911, John (1866-1936) and his wife, Mable (1875-1929) purchased 20 acres of waterfront property in Sarasota, Florida.   In 1912 the couple began spending winters in Sarasota and later decided to build a home there. Their property included a house built by one of Buffalo Bill's circus managers, Charles Thompson. The Ringlings dreamed of helping Sarasota develop into a metropolitan boom town and they became involved in the community, bought real estate, and eventually owned approximately 25 percent of Sarasota's total area.

represented artists

Richard Anuszkiewicz      Thomas Hart Benton      John Chamberlain      Marcel Duchamp      Jimmy Ernst      Marsden Hartley      Barbara Kruger

Robert Rauschenberg      Haim Steinbach      Frank Stella      Thomas Struth      Yves Tanguy