WANT MORE? Check out the rest of our Fall Arts Preview
This season brings an energizing variety of visually stunning and conceptually dynamic exhibitions to local museums. And, we’re in for a entirely new museum, too.
We’ll get the rare opportunity to see work from iconic artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, a decorative installation of dried exotic insects and the Chinese zodiac rendered in Legos. Many museums are pushing into the digital age with virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Ideas about impacts on the environment and the authenticity of facts are explored. And celebrated artists will share insights into their work.
St. Petersburg will see the opening of its newest museum, bringing the total to ten. The Museum of the American Arts and Craft Movement is set to open in December. While we don’t have dates yet, upcoming exhibitions will educate viewers on the history of the movement and showcase many of its top artists.
Looking ahead to summer of 2020, local artists get the opportunity to show their work in museums again with the return of Skyway: A Contemporary Collaboration. The work will be shown in the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Ringling Museum and, new this time, the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum.
Our galleries and arts centers are also packing exhibition schedules. And the streets of St. Petersburg become an even bigger outdoor gallery when the Shine Mural Festival returns Oct. 18-26, bringing international, national and local artists to adorn walls.
Here’s what to look forward to this fall and beyond.
THE DALÍ MUSEUM
One Dalí Blvd. (Bayshore Drive and Fifth Ave. SE), St. Petersburg. (727) 823-3767. thedali.org.
Before Dalí: Goya: Los Caprichos (runs through Sept. 15)
Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes was a famous Spanish artist of the 18th and 19th centuries whose work was a huge influence on Dalí. On view are a series of 83 satirical prints exploring his visions of the superstitions and societal ills of his time. They will be replaced by another suite of prints on Sept. 21.
Visual Magic: Dalí’s Masterworks in Augmented Reality (runs through Nov. 3)
Dalí's popular masterworks get a high-tech treatment with digital effects that allow the viewer to go “inside” the works and gain more insight about the paintings.
Bronzes From the Vault (runs through Nov. 3)
A set of Dalí's small cast bronzes from the museum’s permanent collection, originally commissioned by publisher Isidro Clot in the 1970s, are on display for a limited time. Additionally, four large format sculptures cast by Spanish group 2049 Obra Contemporanea S.A., are on display outside in the Avant-garden.
Flavors of Spain: Photos by Chef Bandel, Café Gala (runs through Dec. 1)
Cafe Gala’s chef Chuck Bandel traveled through Spain capturing images of the legendary cuisine of Catalonia and Basque, as well as behind-the-scenes views of Spanish restaurant life. The exhibition is free to view in the Raymond James Community Room on the first floor of the Museum.
Before Dalí: Goya — La Tauromaquia (Sept. 21 - Nov. 3)
In this suite of 33 famous etchings, Goya depicts the evolution of bullfighting on the Iberian Peninsula.
Fashion Design at The Dalí (Dec. 7 - Jan. 5)
The exhibit showcases photographs of garments created by budding Tampa Bay high school fashion designers who have completed the 12-week Fashion Design at The Dalí program.
Student Surrealist Art Exhibit: Pinellas County (Jan. 11 - March 8)
Student Surrealist Art Exhibit: Hillsborough County (March 21 - May 3
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, ST. PETERSBURG
255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg. (727) 896-2667. mfastpete.org.
Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami (runs through Sept. 22)
The ancient Japanese craft of paper folding is taken to new heights in this mind-bending traveling exhibition that relies as much on mathematics as it does on aesthetics.
Explore the Vaults: Visions of France (runs through March 22)
Guests get the opportunity to see fragile and rarely displayed holdings from the permanent collection inside storage cabinets. The focus is on late 19th and early 20th century prints, drawings and photographs of Paris and the French countryside from renowned artists including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Camille Pissarro.
The Grasshopper and the Ant and Other Stories as Told by Jennifer Angus (Oct. 12 - Jan. 5)
Neo-Victorian artist Angus uses dried exotic insects to create installations inspired by Victorian wallpaper and 19th century book illustration.
Ancient Theater and the Cinema (Nov. 9 - April 5)
The exhibition combines 14 ancient images of the Greek theater and 50 movie stills inspired by Greek plays and mythology.
Art of the Stage: Picasso to Hockney (Jan. 25 - May 10)
Throughout history, artists have collaborated with the theater to create stage designs and costumes. Divided into six themes, the anchor of the exhibition is a section celebrating Ballet Russes, for whom Pablo Picasso designed cubist sets and costumes. It also includes a poster from David Hockney’s 1981 set and costume design recreation for the ballet Parade, which Picasso had originally done in 1917. Live dance performances will happen throughout the exhibition’s run.
TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART
120 Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa. (813) 274-8130. tampamuseum.org.
Robert Rauschenberg: America Mix-16 (runs through Jan. 5)
A portfolio of 16 photogravures featuring pictures of vignettes and found objects that Rauschenberg encountered on his travels around the U.S.
Ordinary/Extraordinary: Assemblage in Three Acts
The following three exhibitions are linked together by the use of found objects and socio-economic influences. Themes of race, identity, spirituality, survival and hope are explored.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: One Master Artist/Two Masterpieces (Sept. 12 - Nov. 10)
Basquiat’s visual vocabulary and use of found materials, text and portraiture to express socio-political themes and self-identity are examined through two paintings, Yellow Door (1983) and Untitled (Word on Wood) (1985). With a limited run of just two months, crowds are guaranteed.
Sacred Diagrams: Haitian Vodou Flags from the Gessen Collection (Sept. 12 - Jan. 26)
Elaborate and ornate ceremonial Hatian Vodou flags, made from repurposed fabrics, beads and sequins, reveal a spiritually rich culture. Guest curator and artist Edouard Duval-Carrie examines the role of the flags and the artists who make them.
Purvis Young: 91 (Sept. 12 - Jan. 26)
The number signifies how many pieces by the self-taught artist are in the museum’s collection, thanks to a gift from the Rubell Family Collection, on display together for the first time. The artist created thousands of assemblages with found objects that reflected imagery from his Overtown neighborhood in Miami.
The Making of a Museum: 100 Years, 100 Works (Nov. 14 - March 15)
The museum celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2020, and celebrates by showcasing works from the permanent collection that highlight its collecting history, which includes Greek and Roman antiquities and modern and contemporary art.
White Gold: Thomas Sayre (Jan. 23 - May 17)
An immersive installation by artist Thomas Sayre that depicts a cotton-filled Southern landscape, exploring America’s complex relationship with the contentious material.
Modern Women: Modern Vision (Feb. 20 - May 24)
Features 100 works from the Bank of America Collection of leading female photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries, exploring their innovations in the genre.
THE JAMES MUSEUM OF WESTERN AND WILDLIFE ART
150 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. (727) 892-4200. thejamesmuseum.org.
Environmental Impact II (runs through Dec. 1)
Artists explore environmental issues including global warming, loss of bee populations and the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill through paintings in sculptures in this traveling exhibition.
Florida Shines On: PARC Artists (September 2019)
A showcase of work from the organization’s Inspired Artist Studios. PARC provides programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Spirit Lines: Helen Hardin Etchings (Dec. 21 - March 1)
The colorful copper plate etchings of Santa Clara Pueblo artist Helen Hardin celebrate her Native heritage as well as modern interpretations and techniques. Her work is featured alongside paintings by her mother, Pablita Velarde, and sculptures by contemporary Santa Clara Pueblo artist Tammy Garcia.
Blake Little: Photographs from the Gay Rodeo (March 28 – June 20)
Los Angeles-based photographer Little documented the gay rodeo circuit and the lives of its participants between 1988 and 1992.
THE JOHN AND MABLE RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART
5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. (941) 359-5700. ringling.org.
The Fabric of India (runs through Oct. 16)
This exhibition showcases more than 140 examples of textiles from the 15th to 21st centuries, drawn from the holdings of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and private collections.
Sun Xun: Time Spy (runs through Feb. 16)
Time Spy (2016), a 3D animated film by Chinese artist Sun Xun, incorporates traditional techniques including ink painting, charcoal drawing, and woodblock printing.
Remaking the World: Abstraction from the Permanent Collection (Nov. 10 – Aug. 1, 2021)
Features more than 20 paintings and sculptures by European and American artists associated with Abstract Expressionism.
Ai Weiwei Zodiac (2018) LEGO (Nov. 17- Feb. 9)
Ai Weiwei’s most recent exploration of the Zodiac series with large panels featuring the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac in Legos.
Manuel Alvarez Bravo: Specters and Parables (Dec. 8 - March 1)
The self-taught photographer became one of the most important artists in Mexico and is considered one of the fathers of modern photography. His body of work ranges from the 1920s-1990s.
Syd Solomon: Concealed and Revealed (Dec. 15 - April 26)
A selection of paintings by American abstract artist Syd Solomon, along with numerous objects from the Solomon Archive, on view for the first time.
Howie Tsui: Retainers of Anarchy (March - June)
Retainers of Anarchy is a large scale animated hand drawing depicting the social and political climate of current day Hong Kong, woven with martial arts tropes and characters.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM
Events associated with the museum are at 3821 Holly Drive, Tampa, unless otherwise specified. (813) 974-2849. ira.usf.edu.
The Return of the Real (runs through Dec. 7)
Artists Robert Lazzarini and Rodrigo Valenzuela respond to the climate of fake news and fabricated fears by rearranging and distorting reality to question its most fundamental premises.
Stink! Stank! Stunk! Artist talk with Alex Da Corte (Sept. 10, Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin St.)
The renowned contemporary artist will discuss his reworking of American pop culture and his contributions to the 57th Carnegie International and the 58th Venice Biennale.
Nick Cave: Art, Performance and Empowerment (Oct. 8, Tampa International Airport third floor event space)
Artists Nick Cave and Bob Faust will give a talk and lead a discussion of their tapestry, Palimpsest, which is held in the airport’s permanent collection.
Breaking Barriers: Selected Work (Dec. 11 - 12)
Photographic artworks by military veterans created in a free workshop series led by photographer Forrest MacDonald.
Sponge Exchange: Hope Ginsberg (Jan. 13 - March 7)
Ginsberg dove into the local sea sponge culture in Tarpon Springs to examine how the health of marine invertebrates impacts the environment and economy of the region. Inspired by the dioramas found in the Spongeorama museum, she and USF students re-imagine them in three dimensional sculptures that address climate change in Florida.
FloodZone: Anastasia Samoylova (Jan. 13 - March 7)
The first solo exhibition for the Moscow-born, Miami-based artist presents an ongoing photographic series that reflects the impacts of sea level rise in South Florida. She pays particular attention to the blind eye that real estate developers turn to the problem, continuing to build in places that may soon be underwater.
FLORIDA MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS
400 N Ashley Drive, Tampa. (813) 221-2222. fmopa.org.
Stephen Wilkes: Day to Night (runs through Dec. 31)
Wilkes captures world landmarks from dawn until dark and combines 30 to 50 photos to create one image.
Garry Winogrand: Women are Beautiful (runs through Dec. 31)
85 photographs of women from the 1960s and ’70s that capture the fashion, energy and attitudes of the era.
LEEPA-RATTNER MUSEUM OF ART
600 E Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs. (727) 712-5762. leeparattner.org.
Deborah Masters: Spirits (Oct. 6 - Jan. 5)
Monumental sculptures of heads suspended from the ceiling reflect Masters’ visions of humans and animals in their social, existential and spiritual dimensions. Also included are a series of painted wooden crosses depicting Christian imagery and global crises.
ALTARed States: From the LRMA Collection (Oct. 6 - Jan. 5)
To complement Deborah Masters: Spirits, the exhibition explores the spiritual realm through sculpture, painting, photography and mixed-media objects from the museum’s permanent collection.
Robert Coon: Intersection (Nov. 17- May 31)
The Vero Beach painter, sculptor and printmaker creates bold, outdoor metal sculptures that explore the negative spaces between intersecting abstract shapes. On display in the outdoor Terrace Gallery.
Louisa Chase: What Lies Beneath (Jan. 25 - April 19)
The exhibition celebrates the life and career of the contemporary painter and printmaker who emerged out of New York’s male-dominated art scene in the 1970s as a strong female presence in the Neo-Expressionist movement of the 1980s. The museum will also display works from female printmakers and sculptors from its permanent collection.
MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT
Opening in December. Exhibits do not yet have dates. 355 4th St N, St. Petersburg. (727) 943-9900. museumaacm.org.
RELATED: What’s the latest on the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement?
Love, Labor and Art: The Roycroft Enterprise
Roycroft was an community of craft workers and artists who were a major part of the early American Arts and Crafts movement, producing furniture, lighting, metalwork, books and ephemera and stained glass, all made with simple lines and impeccable quality.
Capturing Childhood: Illustrations of American Youth
50 paintings and drawings celebrating childhood, created in the first half of the 20th century, including notable artists Norman Rockwell and Howard Pyle, who was considered the father of American illustration.
Lenses Embracing the Beautiful: Pictorial Photographs from the Two Red Roses Foundation
More than 150 photographs and rare books made by pictorial photographers from around the world, spanning two generations of photographers.
IMAGINE MUSEUM
1901 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. (727) 300-1700. imaginemuseum.com.
Karen LaMonte: Floating World (runs through Dec. 31)
Life-size glass, ceramic and bronze kimonos that LaMonte cast after learning the history and construction of the garment during a residency in Kyoto, Japan.
Pivot (runs through Dec. 22)
The museum put out an open call to artists for work that represented a shift in their process. The result is a varied show by international artists working in a multitude of techniques and innovations.
POLK MUSEUM OF ART AT FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE
800 East Palmetto St., Lakeland. (863) 688-7743. polkmuseumofart.org.
Paul Fullerton: Forces of Nature (runs through Nov. 10)
Large-scale cast metal reliefs, on display in the museum’s sculpture garden.
Pierre Henri Matisse: Stories of Creativity (runs through Nov. 24)
The grandson of the famous Henri is 91 years old and lives in Florida. His artwork is clearly inspired by his grandfather, especially through his use of paper cuts.
Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens (runs through Oct. 13)
Drawn from the Reading Public Museum in Pennsylvania, an exploration of the relationship of 19th century French Impressionism and the American interpretation of it through the following decades.
Kelly Sturhahn: A Colored Image of the Sun (runs through Nov. 10)
Sturhahn reinterprets nature abstractly through a sensory experience.
Spirits: Ritual and Ceremonial African and Oceanic Art (Oct. 26 - Jan. 26)
Drawn from the Dr. Alan and Linda Rich Collection, most of the artifacts explore the spiritual connection between humans and animals.
Global Art of the 1970s (Nov. 9 - Feb. 2)
From the S.C. Johnson Collection, the exhibition is a deep dive into rarely seen artwork from one of art history’s most consequential decades.
A Brush With Herstory: The Paintings of Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso (Dec. 14 - April 12)
Dellosso is a contemporary portrait painter who pays tribute to overlooked female old masters.
Music and Dance in Painting of the Dutch Golden Age (Feb. 8 - May 31)
Custom-curated for the museum by the Hoogsteder Museum Foundation of the Netherlands, the exhibit features Dutch and Flemish paintings from the 17th century.
FLORIDA HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
55 Fifth St. S., St. Petersburg. (727) 820-0100. thefhm.org.
Beaches, Benches and Boycotts: The Civil Rights Movement in Tampa Bay (runs through March 1)
A photographic account of the history of Tampa Bay’s racial segregation during the Jim Crow era, even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had passed.
Anne Frank: Let Me Be Myself (Jan. 25 - Jan. 24, 2021)
A modern retelling of the Anne Frank story that addresses current day issues of identity, exclusion, discrimination and the consequences of actions and words. It also has a virtual reality element that allows the viewer to travel to Frank’s “secret annex.”
TAMPA BAY HISTORY CENTER
801 Water Street, Tampa. (813) 228-0097. tampabayhistorycenter.org.
Pensacola: Florida’s Second City (Oct. 5 - April 12)
Featuring more than two dozen maps, illustrations, promotional booklets, and other historical items, the history of Pensacola is traced from its first attempted founding in 1549 through its time as the capital of West Florida, its role as an important shipping center, through its current place as both tourist destination and home to a key U. S. military base.
Brick History (Oct. 19 - Feb. 16)
This U.K. based exhibition makes its U.S. debut at the history center. History is explored through Lego sculptures, covering the arts, conflict including natural disasters and political strife, the struggle for equality and discoveries, inventions and transportation.