History
As in the rest of the United States, painting emerged in Florida with the arrival of the colonists. Spanish missionaries, established in the Southwestern United States and in Florida, used visual arts to evangelize the Amerindians. To this end, places of worship were decorated with religious paintings and sculptures, infused with Baroque. The works were imported or created by the monks. Rubens' style strongly influenced the "executors" who could not yet be called artists.
It was not until the 17th century that professionals from Europe executed the first paintings on American soil. They remained marked by European canons and religion. However, before that, the lushness of Florida stimulated the creativity of the painters on board the ships. Charged with documenting the exploration missions, they represented Florida as early as the 16th century. Thus, the French cartographer and illustrator Jacques Le Moyne executed drawings and watercolors of these new lands. The birds of Florida inspired the ornithologist John James Audubon. Considered the greatest landscape painter of his time, the painter George Inness (1825-1894) chose Florida as the theme for his Florida series.
Born in Italy in 1856, the Anglo-American painter John Singer Sargent kept track of his countless travels by producing nearly a thousand paintings and two thousand watercolors. His landscapes and seascapes show Venice, Corfu, France, the Middle East and Florida.
Founded by an industrialist couple, the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach is the reference for American art of the 1850s. Sculptures and paintings represent all the pictorial trends of the 19th century. Modernists and Impressionists share the space with an amazing collection of Chinese sculptures spanning 12 millennia of creation. The contemporary art department and its photography rooms confirm the Nortons' undeniable flair (Joseph Beuys, Richard Long, Andy Warhol ...)
Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg, born in Texas in 1925, left New York in 1960 to settle in Florida, in the small village of Captiva, where he died in 2008. The revolutionary artist frequently expressed the influence of his place of residence on his work. In Florida, he was able to recharge his batteries and between two fishing trips, he drew the inspiration that fueled his research for more than four decades. Rauschenberg was an explorer. Using all sorts of materials and techniques, he mixed disciplines to push the limits of the imagination as in his Combine Paintings. He is considered a precursor in almost all movements of modern art, from abstraction to expressionism, in painting, photography, engraving and sculpture. Photography, the essential source of his work, is for him a means to study light and its variations. From the end of the 1940s, he immortalized his friends, John Cage, Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, and documented his travels in Tangiers and throughout Europe.
In his studio, on the beach of the fishing village, he completed his series of illustrations of Dante's Inferno between 1958 and 1960.
Thereafter, the most whimsical personalities find their place in Florida.
Artists' associations
In the 1970s, the first artist communities were formed in small towns in Florida. While keeping their own studio, the creators rely on solidarity to promote their creations. The studios are usually open to the public, at least on weekends. Surrounding oneself with creative minds allows one to benefit from an emulsion and to escape from an overly formatted commercial system. Among the pioneering associations, the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach has been a multidisciplinary exhibition space since 1977, offering residencies, a workshop and training. It was founded by Doris Leeper, a sculptor and painter committed to the protection of the environment. Now, the ACA organizes a festival, workshops for children, seminars, all with a focus on wellness.
Doris "Doc" Leeper (1929-2000) began painting in the 1950's, then turned to abstraction, playing with textures and geometric shapes. His style softened in the 1980s, and elements borrowed from nature appeared. His actions in favor of the environment and within the ACA complete his successful career.
In Miami Beach, the ArtCenter-South Florida has been promoting the practice of visual arts and the culture of South Florida since 1984. In Tallahassee, the vast space of the Railroad Square Art Park is rented to about fifty artists of all genres. Every 1st Friday of the month, the "First Friday GAllery Hop" the ArtCenter-South Florida offers a discovery tour through the craziest worlds.
No less than 35 artists are gathered at the Village of the Arts in Bradenton since 1999. The small houses converted into galleries are generally open to the public, but the best way is to take advantage of an ArtWalk, the first weekend of the month.
Typical of a certain definition of American art, the Towles Court Artist Colony in Sarasota offers a different take on creativity: massage, art therapy and culinary arts enrich the exhibition program. Sculptures share the tropical gardens with artists who enjoy exercising their talents in the great outdoors.
Contemporary art
Surprise: Orlando's art scene is booming! Art galleries are popping up in unexpected places. Photo enthusiasts will want to visit both Snap! International artists exhibit at Snap! Space and Snap! Downtown, directed by Patrick Kahn. Independent art takes over a large industrial space on Edgewater Drive: the Henao Contemporary Center. In addition to theOrlando Museum of Art, to get a feel for local art, the Mennello Museum of American Art focuses on contemporary art, around the permanent collection of Earl Cunningham (1893-1977). Born in Maine, Cunningham settled in St. Augustine, where he opened a curio store that also served as his studio. This self-taught artist composed vibrant landscapes, at the crossroads of Fauvism and a joyful naive art. In Orlando, as in many Florida cities, art takes advantage of the climate to animate the streets. Festivals attract crowds, in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, Tampa ... everywhere, including Miami. The Art Deco city is prized for its Art Basel Miami Beach. A must-attend event for collectors and art lovers from around the world, the Miami fair has been held every year since 2002. More than 250 galleries gather at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The event is complemented by about twenty off fairs throughout the city.
Let's stay in Miami to recommend its contemporary art museum, the Pérez Art Museum Miami, or PAMM, located in a superb ultra-design building facing the bay. It features contemporary works by artists from Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. A detour to the Sculpture Garden is a must.
The West Coast of Florida is also very rich in art, as evidenced by the many art galleries on Pine Island. On this island in Lee County, a community of artists and writers offers a different take on America. Don't miss Lovegrove, with its garden full of sculptures inspired by the Impressionists and the Beatles. Still on the West Coast, don't miss the Dalí Museum in St Petersburg, which has a beautiful collection of the artist with the divine mustache.
Wynwood and street art
It's no coincidence that the world's first museum dedicated to the history of graffiti art recently opened in Wynwood. This formerly abandoned neighborhood has become the great originality of Miami. Transformed into an artistic epicenter by the patron Tony Goldman, who was behind the development of SoHo in New York, it has attracted street artists since the 2000s. In the Wynwood Walls park, the walls are made available to creative people from all over the world, especially during Art Basel. Acclaimed muralists and emerging graffiti artists meet for several days including Shepard Fairey or the Miami-based painter illustrator and muralist, Ernesto Maranje.
Not all murals are concentrated in Wynwood Walls. All around, you can track down the works on 50 blocks. Along the way, a hundred art galleries, restaurants and vintage stores will welcome you. Don't miss the contemporary art collection of the Margulies Gallery, which includes all mediums, photography, video, sculpture and installation; at the Bakehouse Complex, you can even meet the artists in their studios.
Since 1994, the Street Painting Festival in Downtown Lake Worth Beach invites everyone to become an artist. Its premise is in keeping with a centuries-old tradition, when artists painted pavement to make themselves known. It has become the first and most popular outdoor event and now attracts nearly 100,000 visitors. Every February, more than 600 artists come from all over the world to practice their talent in the street. With chalk or paint, leave your mark in Florida!
