Travels in the 2nd half

  The city of St. Petersburg, Florida, is home to many cultural and artistic institutions. I had the opportunity to visit two of them on a recent visit. St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts Shiva Nataraja - India 18th century   The Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1961 by Margaret Acheson Stuart. The city donated a four acre, waterfront site, and it opened its doors in 1965. The MFA was the first fine arts museum in St. Petersburg. Leviathan Zodiacs by Kahinde Wiley Today, the museum has pieces that cover over 5000 years of human endeavor, from all around the world. In my opinion, it is strongest in its collection of 20th and 21st century art. These include some wonderful impressionist and post-impressionist works. These include pieces by Georgia O’Keefe and Kahinde Wiley. Susanna and the Elders by Frans Floris Juliet and her Nurse by John R.S. Stanhope The Houses of Parliment, Effect of Fog by Claude Monet Reading by Berthe Moriset Gathering at Church Entrance by Richard Hal...

  You might not expect to find a museum dedicated to Salvador Dalí in St. Petersburg, Florida, but you would be wrong. And St. Petersburg has Albert Reynolds Morse and Eleanor Morse to thank for it. Photo by Ebyabe vis wikicommons Reynolds Morse (1914-2000) was an Ohio industrialist. Reynolds and his wife Eleanor (1912-2010) purchased their first Dalí in 1943. Together they became consistent collectors of his work. In 1971 they created a museum for their collection in Beachwood, Ohio, near Cleveland. Their gallery was in a building at their industrial plant. In 1980, the city of St. Petersburg approached the couple and offered a new home for their museum. Originally in a warehouse near the city’s waterfront, in 2008 St. Petersburg commissioned a new building. They hired Yann Weymouth to design the new home for the collection.  Today, The Salvador Dalí Museum is home to over 1500 paintings, watercolors, drawings, and other artifacts. It has more recognized Dalí masterpieces ...