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 see modern and contemporary art. It's located in Tarpon Springs, Florida, right on the campus of St. Petersburg College. This museum has a special collection of art that stays there all the time. You can see paintings by Abraham Rattner and sculptures from Florida artists. The museum also features modern art by Esther Gentle and Allen Leepa. Plus, it has works by famous artists who were friends with Rattner, like Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, and Max Ernst.
Contents
History of the Museum
How the Museum Started
The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art began because of a generous gift of art. In 1996, Allen Leepa (1919–2009) gave his art collection to St. Petersburg College. At that time, the college was a two-year community college. Allen Leepa was an art professor at Michigan State University for many years. He was also an abstract expressionist artist himself.
Important Artists in the Collection
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 Pablo Picasso and other artists in Paris in 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 Rattner's art collection. This collection included works by Rattner and his artist friends.
Museum Directors Over Time
R. Lynn Whitelaw was the first director of the museum. After him, Victoria Cooke became director in 2011. Ann Larsen took over in 2013, followed by Dr. Teresa Wilkins in 2019. The current director, Christine Renc-Carter, started in 2022.
Art Collection Highlights
What You Can See at LRMA
The museum's collection from the 20th century comes mostly from Abraham Rattner's art. Allen and Isabelle Leepa donated these works. 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 LRMA.
Rattner's Works and Other Masters
More than 60% of the museum's collection is made up of Rattner's art. This includes many different types of art, like lithographs, tapestries, sculptures, and paintings. You can also see stained glass by him. Works by other famous artists like Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, and Max Ernst are also part of the collection. These pieces are shown to the public from time to time.
Museum Building Design
Unique Architecture of LRMA
The museum building was designed by Edward C. Hoffman Jr., an architect from Tampa. Creative Contractors, Inc. built it. 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 with fishing and sponge harvesting.
Awards and Recognition
The museum complex is very large, about 53,000 square feet. It actually has three buildings connected together. These are the museum itself, the Ellis Foundation Art Education Center, and the Michael M. Bennett Library. They are designed to look like they are pressed closely together. The Tampa Bay chapter of the American Institute of Architects gave Hoffman Architects an award in 2002 for the museum's design. In 2012, the American Institute of Architects' Florida Chapter added the museum building to its list of "Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places."
See also
