Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art facts for kids
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| Established | 22 January 2002 |
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| Location | 600 Klosterman Road Tarpon Springs Florida 34689 United States |
| Type | Modern and Contemporary Art |
The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art (LRMA) is a cool place to explore modern and contemporary art. You can find it on the campus of St. Petersburg College in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The museum has a special collection of art, including paintings by Abraham Rattner. It also features modern art by Esther Gentle and Allen Leepa. You can even see works by famous artists who were friends with Rattner, like Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, and Marc Chagall.
Discovering the Museum's Story
The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art started because of a generous gift of art. In 1996, Allen Leepa (1919–2009) gave his art collection to St. Petersburg College. Allen Leepa was an art professor at Michigan State University for many years. He was also an abstract expressionist artist himself.
Allen Leepa was the stepson of Abraham Rattner (1893–1978). Rattner was a very important modern artist in the 20th century. He was friends with artists like Pablo Picasso in Paris during the 1920s and 1930s. Allen's mother was Esther Gentle (1899–1991), who was a sculptor, painter, and printmaker. After his mother passed away, Allen inherited Abraham Rattner's art collection. This collection included works by Rattner and his artist friends.
The museum has had several directors over the years. R. Lynn Whitelaw was the first director. Today, Christine Renc-Carter leads the museum.
What Art Can You See?
The museum's collection from the 20th century is mostly made up of art from Abraham Rattner's estate. Allen and Isabelle Leepa donated this art. They had also given over 2,000 pieces of art by Rattner, Leepa, and Gentle to the Tampa Museum of Art in 1997. Before the Leepa-Rattner Museum opened, the Tampa museum donated these works to it.
More than 60% of the museum's collection is dedicated to Abraham Rattner's work. This includes many different types of art, like lithographs (a type of print), tapestries, sculptures, clay works, paintings, and stained glass. The museum also owns art by other famous artists like Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, and Max Ernst. These works are sometimes shown in special exhibits.
The Museum's Unique Design
The Leepa-Rattner Museum was designed by an architect named Edward C. Hoffman Jr. The inside of the museum looks a bit like the front of a ship. This is because of the large skylights that curve towards the ceiling. This design is a special way to honor Tarpon Springs' history of fishing and sponge harvesting.
The museum complex is about 53,000 square feet (4,900 m2) in size. It's actually three buildings connected as one. These are the museum itself, the Ellis Foundation Art Education Center (for learning about art), and the Michael M. Bennett Library. They are designed to look like they are pressed together.
The museum's design has won awards. The American Institute of Architects gave Hoffman Architects an award for the museum's design in 2002. In 2012, the museum building was even placed on a list called "Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places."
See also
