Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
Encyclopedia
Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art is an art museum located on the campus of St. Petersburg College
in Tarpon Springs, Florida
. The museum houses a permanent collection which includes paintings by Abraham Rattner and contemporary Florida sculpture including modern art
by Abraham Rattner
, Esther Gentle, and Allen Leepa, as well as by Rattner's contemporaries, Pablo Picasso
, Henry Moore
, Marc Chagall
, Auguste Herbin
, Georges Rouault
, Hans Hofmann
, and Max Ernst
.
) in 1996. Leepa, a professor of art at Michigan State University
from 1945 to 1983 and an abstract expressionist
artist in his own right, was the stepson of Abraham Rattner (1893–1978) – a highly-regarded 20th-century modern artist who was a friend and contemporary of Pablo Picasso and other early modernists in Paris
in the 1920s and 1930s – and the son of Esther Gentle (1899–1991), a sculptor, painter and printmaker. After his mother's death, Leepa inherited his stepfather's estate, which included works by Rattner and his contemporaries.
in 1997 and which the Tampa museum donated to the Leepa-Rattner Museum before the latter's opening. Rattner's retrospective works account for over 60% of the collection, including lithographs, tapestries, sculptures, paintings and stained glass. Works by Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, and others are kept in storage and exhibited from time to time.
and sponge harvesting industries.
The 53000 square feet (4,923.9 m²) complex consists of three buildings in one – the museum, the Ellis Foundation Art Education Center, and the Michael M. Bennett Library – designed in such a way that the buildings appear as if they are pressed together. The Tampa Bay chapter of the American Institute of Architects
gave Hoffman Architects the 2002 H. Dean Rowe FAIA Award of Excellence for the museum design.
Museum of Art, and curator of paintings at the New Orleans Museum of Art
.
St. Petersburg College
St. Petersburg College is a fully accredited post-secondary educational institution located in St. Petersburg, Florida, serving some 65,000 students annually...
in Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,003 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 22,554....
. The museum houses a permanent collection which includes paintings by Abraham Rattner and contemporary Florida sculpture including modern art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
by Abraham Rattner
Abraham Rattner
Abraham Rattner was an American artist, best known for his richly colored paintings, often with religious subject matter. During World War I, he served in France with the U.S. Army as a camouflage artist.-Early life:...
, Esther Gentle, and Allen Leepa, as well as by Rattner's contemporaries, Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
, Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
, Auguste Herbin
Auguste Herbin
Auguste Herbin was a French painter.-Biography:Born in Quiévy, Nord, he studied drawing at the École des Beaux-Arts de Lille, from 1898 to 1901, when he settled in Paris....
, Georges Rouault
Georges Rouault
Georges Henri Rouault[p] was a French Fauvist and Expressionist painter, and printmaker in lithography and etching.-Childhood and education:Rouault was born in Paris into a poor family...
, Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann was a German-born American abstract expressionist painter.-Biography:Hofmann was born in Weißenburg, Bavaria on March 21, 1880, the son of Theodor and Franziska Hofmann. When he was six he moved with his family to Munich...
, and Max Ernst
Max Ernst
Max Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...
.
History
The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art was the result of a gift of art belonging to Allen Leepa (1919–2009) to the St. Petersburg Junior College (then a two-year community collegeCommunity college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
) in 1996. Leepa, a professor of art at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
from 1945 to 1983 and an abstract expressionist
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
artist in his own right, was the stepson of Abraham Rattner (1893–1978) – a highly-regarded 20th-century modern artist who was a friend and contemporary of Pablo Picasso and other early modernists in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in the 1920s and 1930s – and the son of Esther Gentle (1899–1991), a sculptor, painter and printmaker. After his mother's death, Leepa inherited his stepfather's estate, which included works by Rattner and his contemporaries.
Collection
The museum's 20th-century collection is made up of art from the estate of Abraham Rattner, donated by Allen and Isabelle Leepa, along with a collection of over 2,000 words of art by Rattner, Leepa, and Gentle which the Leepas had previously donated to the Tampa Museum of ArtTampa Museum of Art
The Tampa Museum of Art is located in Downtown Tampa, Florida. The museum exhibits 20th-century fine art, as well as Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. It opened in 1979 on the banks of Hillsborough River.- Museum History :...
in 1997 and which the Tampa museum donated to the Leepa-Rattner Museum before the latter's opening. Rattner's retrospective works account for over 60% of the collection, including lithographs, tapestries, sculptures, paintings and stained glass. Works by Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, and others are kept in storage and exhibited from time to time.
Architectural design
The museum was designed by Tampa architect Edward C. Hoffman Jr. and built by Creative Contractors, Inc. The interior of the museum resembles the bow of a ship, created by the effect of large skylights that sweep towards the rafters of the building. This image pays tribute to Tarpon Spring's fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and sponge harvesting industries.
The 53000 square feet (4,923.9 m²) complex consists of three buildings in one – the museum, the Ellis Foundation Art Education Center, and the Michael M. Bennett Library – designed in such a way that the buildings appear as if they are pressed together. The Tampa Bay chapter of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
gave Hoffman Architects the 2002 H. Dean Rowe FAIA Award of Excellence for the museum design.
Directorship
Founding director Lynn Whitelaw, who joined the staff of St. Petersburg College in 1998, was involved in the construction and operations of the museum and directed the museum from 2001 to 2011. He was succeeded as director by Victoria Cooke, who previously served as assistant director of the Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
Museum of Art, and curator of paintings at the New Orleans Museum of Art
New Orleans Museum of Art
The New Orleans Museum of Art is the oldest fine arts museum in the city of New Orleans. It is situated within City Park, a short distance from the intersection of Carrollton Avenue and Esplanade Avenue, and near the terminus of the "Canal Street - City Park" streetcar line...
.