The Appleton Museum of Art is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...

located in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making ...

. It is affiliated with and governed by the

College of Central Florida The College of Central Florida (CF) is a public college with campuses in Marion County, Florida, Marion, Citrus County, Florida, Citrus, and Levy County, Florida, Levy counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It is part of the Florida College Sys ...

and has been since 2004. The Appleton Museum of Art houses a

permanent collection Permanent may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Permanent'' (film), a 2017 American film * ''Permanent'' (Joy Division album) * "Permanent" (song), by David Cook *"Permanent", a song by Alex Lahey from ''The Answer Is Always Yes'', 2023 Other ...

of more than 24,000 works including art and artifacts representative of

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, Asian, African,

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

and

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

styles. It also displays special exhibits on a temporary basis throughout the year. The museum collects works specifically from Florida artists and showcases history and progression of

Central Florida Central Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, in ...

culture.Appleton Museum of Ar
"Collections"
, ''Appleton Museum of Art website'', 2008. Accessed July 27, 2008.

History

Business magnate Arthur I. Appleton and his wife, the former

Martha O'Driscoll Martha O'Driscoll (March 5, 1922 – November 3, 1998) was an American film actress from 1937 until 1947. She retired in 1947 after marrying her second husband, Arthur I. Appleton, mogger of Appleton Electric Company in Chicago. Early life O' ...

bought land in the Ocala area during the mid-1970s and established Bridlewood Farm, a thoroughbred breeding and training facility. Construction of the Appleton Museum of Art began in 1984 on 44 acres of forested land on East Silver Springs Boulevard in 1984. Under the guidance of Mr. Appleton and Museum Director, Moussa Domit, who brought a more cultured and experienced perspective, the building eventually opened to the public in 1987 as the Appleton Museum of Art. Built by more than 300 tradesmen from 130 companies, the museum is clad in 80,000 square feet of Italian travertine marble and the flooring consists of 15,000 square feet of Bolivian Capao Bonito granite. The marble and stone work was done by Antagon/Paleni of Montreal and the glass came from

Pilkington Pilkington is a glass-manufacturing company which is based in Lathom, Lancashire, England. It includes several legal entities in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Japanese company Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG). It was formerly an independent company ...

Glass of England. In 1996, the Edith-Marie Appleton Wing, funded by and named after Arthur I. Appleton's sister, was constructed and in 2009 a 2,662-square-foot art storage facility was also added, bringing the museum's total overall size to just under 82,000 square feet. In 2013, the Appleton Museum of Art earned accreditation by the

American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the American Association of Museums, is a non-profit association whose goal is to bring museums together. Founded in 1906, the organization advocates for museums and provides "museum professionals w ...

Museum Features

The Appleton Art Museum is located within the Appleton Cultural Center, a complex east of the city's downtown area, which it shares with the Ocala Civic Theatre. The museum's unique structural design is a work of art, in itself. The two-story

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

marble building is surrounded by a fountain and a long

reflecting pool A reflecting pool, also called a reflection pool, is a water feature found in gardens, parks and memorial sites. It usually consists of a shallow pool of water with a reflective surface, undisturbed by fountain jets. Design Reflecting pools are o ...

, and the surrounding landscaped grounds span 11.3 acres. The Appleton Museum of Art's impressive and diverse interior features include six

art galleries An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

, totaling several thousand square feet, and a 250-seat auditorium and cafe surrounding an open-air courtyard. Additionally, the Edith-Marie Appleton Wing includes four classrooms, one of which includes

interactive video The term interactive video usually refers to a technique used to blend interaction and linear film or video. History In 1962, Steve Russell, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), created Spacewar!, the world's first inte ...

technology; an art library with over 2,000 art books and visual media; and an

art workshop A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to Wiktionary:study, study or zeal. Types Art The studio o ...

Collections

The Appleton Museum is home to eight permanent art collections, spanning multiple time periods and themes, and temporary exhibitions that rotate in and out of the museum periodically.

Permanent Collections

Florida Artists

One of the missions of the Appleton Museum of Art is to support local Florida artists by collecting and displaying their artworks. This mission is made possible with the help of sponsors such as the Ina Gotler-Colen and Gladys Shafran Kashdin Endowed Acquisitions Fund for Florida Artists and the David and Lisa Midgett Foundation.

Equine Art

The town that the Appleton Museum of Art was built in,

, is lauded as the Horse Capital of the World, and as Ocala is known for both its horse farms and its equestrian centers, it is no surprise that the Appleton Museum wanted to showcase its history with horses by making one of its permanent collections an homage to Ocala's equestrian legacy. After all, when Arthur I. Appleton and his Wife first bought property in Ocala, they built and established a horse farm by the name of Bridlewood Farm. The Equine collection represents over 3,000 years of equine history from around the world, from

Eurasian Steppe The Eurasian Steppe, also called the Great Steppe or The Steppes, is the vast steppe ecoregion of Eurasia in the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome. It stretches through Manchuria, Mongolia, Xinjiang, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Europea ...

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

horse-bridle bits to more contemporary works.

European Art

Covering a wide variety of European art, the European collection spans the 17th through the 19th centuries, and includes artworks from many different mediums, including painting, sculpture, and decorative arts. The artworks in this collection cover various artistic movements, such as

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

Post-Romanticism Post-romanticism or Postromanticism refers to a range of cultural endeavors and attitudes emerging in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, after the period of Romanticism. In literature The period of post-romanticism in poetry is ...

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

Orientalism In art history, literature, and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects of the Eastern world (or "Orient") by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. Orientalist painting, particularly of the Middle ...

, and the

pre-Raphaelites The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti ...

, and come from such European nations as: France, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Great Britain, and Germany.

Pre-Columbian Art

This collection of art focuses on artifacts from the

Pre-Columbian Era In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

in the Americas. The objects in this collection were created by indigenous peoples from Mexico, Central America, and South America prior to any significant influence from Europeans. This collection includes artwork and artifacts from such cultures as the

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

, Wari, Moche,

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, and

Chimú Chimor (also Kingdom of Chimor or Chimú Empire) was the political grouping of the Chimú culture (). The culture arose about 900 CE, succeeding the Moche culture, and was later conquered by the Inca emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui around 1470, fi ...

. The objects available for viewing in this collection include ceramics, bowls, items made from gold and precious jade, statues, effigies, and censers.

Asian Art

The Asian Art exhibit is one of the largest collections at the Appleton, and includes religious and secular works from across Asia. Art depicting

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

come in the form of sculptures and textiles from India, Tibet, Thailand, and Myanmar (formerly Burma). There are a number of historical Chinese artifacts, including ceramic pieces of Tang Dynasty horse and guardian figures, rare

celadon Celadon () is a term for pottery denoting both wares ceramic glaze, glazed in the jade green Shades of green#Celadon, celadon color, also known as greenware or "green ware" (the term specialists now tend to use), and a type of transparent glaze, ...

funerary vases, and Chinese Export Ware, which were made in China exclusively for export to western nations in a time where

was very popular in western culture. There are also a variety of art and artifacts originating in Japan, including a variety of miniature sculptures called

netsuke A is a miniature sculpture, originating in 17th century Japan. Initially a simply-carved button fastener on the cords of an box, later developed into ornately sculpted objects of craftsmanship.Yuji Yamashita (2014), ''Meiji no saimitsu kogei'' ...

s, Meji era bronzes, and

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

African Art

Much of the art in this collection was purchased by Arthur I. Appleton from the collection of Dr. Victor David DuBois after DuBois's death. Dubois built his collection of African Art during his years working for the United States Government in Africa. Most of the pieces in this collection represent West African cultures, and many were obtained by Dubois directly from the people who made and used them. One notable piece from the collection is a 20th century Dance Headdress with Hare Crest, called a Sibondël, created and used by the

Baga people The Baga are a West African ethnic group who live in the southern swampy lands of Guinea Atlantic coastline. Traditionally animist through the pre-colonial times, they converted to Islam during the mid-eighteenth century under the influence of ...

of the Republic of Guinea. Another notable piece is a full set of Maiden Spirit Dance Regalia, from the Agbogo Mmuo (also spelled, Agbogho Mmuo), which is the Maiden Spirit Dance of the

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

people of Nigeria.

Modern and Contemporary Art

This collection features works of both

Modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...

and the

Contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

, focusing on artwork from the 1950s to present day. The artwork in this collection include paintings, sculptures, photography, and drawings, and features pieces by such notable artists as:

Salvador Dali Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

, and

Takao Tanabe Takao Tanabe, (born 16 September 1926) is a Canadian artist who painted abstractly for decades, but over time, his paintings became nature-based. Biography Born Takao Izumi in Seal Cove, today part of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, the son o ...

Maritime Art

The art in this collection features various depictions of the sea and humans' interactions with the sea, focusing mostly on paintings of historic sailing ships, and models of historic sailing ships. These pieces of art were created mostly during the 19th and 20th centuries, and were collected by Arthur I. Appleton, who served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. This collection features artwork by British artists

William Adolphus Knell William Adolphus Knell (1801 – 9 July 1875) was an English painter who specialised in marine art. Life Knell was born in 1801 at Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight. By 1825 had already exhibited his works at the Royal Academy. He soon built up a ...

, Captain Richard Brydges Beechey, Henry Scott, and

Montague Dawson Montague Dawson RSMA, FRSA (1890–1973) was a British painter who was renowned as a maritime artist. His most famous paintings depict sailing ships, usually clippers or warships of the 18th and 19th centuries. Life Montague Dawson was the s ...

Represented artists

The following artists, among others, have art displayed in the museum. *

Karel Appel Christiaan Karel Appel (; 25 April 1921 – 3 May 2006) was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet. He started painting at the age of fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s. He was one of the founders of the avant-gard ...

John James Audubon John James Audubon (born Jean-Jacques Rabin, April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was a French-American Autodidacticism, self-trained artist, natural history, naturalist, and ornithology, ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornitho ...

Antoine-Louis Barye Antoine-Louis Barye (; 24 September 179525 June 1875) was a Romantic French sculptor most famous for his work as an ''animalier'', a sculptor of animals. His son and student was the sculptor Alfred Barye. Biography Born in Paris, France, Barye ...

Ralph Albert Blakelock Ralph Albert Blakelock (October 15, 1847 – August 9, 1919) was a Romanticism, romanticist American painter known primarily for his landscape paintings related to the Tonalism movement. Biography Ralph Blakelock was born in New York City on O ...

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French Academic art, academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classicism, classical subjects, with a ...

Jules Breton Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton (; 1 May 1827 – 5 July 1906) was a 19th-century French Naturalism (arts), naturalist Painting, painter. His paintings are heavily influenced by the French countryside and his absorption of traditional methods ...

Alexander Calder Alexander "Sandy" Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobile (sculpture), mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, hi ...

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (; 11 May 1827 – 12 October 1875) was a French sculptor and painter during the Second Empire under Napoleon III. Life Born in Valenciennes, Nord, son of a mason, his early studies were under François Rude. Carpe ...

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (; born Albert-Ernest Carrier de Belleuse; 12 June 1824 – 4 June 1887) was a French sculptor. He was one of the founding members of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and was made an officer of the Legion o ...

Thomas Couture Thomas Couture (; 21 December 1815 – 30 March 1879) was a French history painter and teacher. He taught many notable contemporary figures of the art world, such as Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, John La Farge, Pierre Puvis de Chava ...

Pierre Auguste Cot Pierre Auguste Cot (; 17 February 1837 – 2 August 1883) was a French painter of the Academic Classicism school. Life and career Cot was born in Bédarieux, Hérault, and initially studied at l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse before going t ...

Barent Fabritius Barent or Bernard Pietersz Fabritius (or Fabricius) (16 November 1624 apt.– 20 October 1673 uried, was a Dutch people, Dutch painter. Fabritius was born at Middenbeemster, North Holland, the son of . He studied with his brothers Johanne ...

* Emile Galle *

Elizabeth Jane Gardner Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau (October 4, 1837 – January 28, 1922) was an American academic and salon painter, who was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, Exeter, New Hampshire. She was an American expatriate who died in Paris where she had li ...

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (; 11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academic painting, academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living art ...

Robert Gordy Robert Louis Gordy (July 15, 1931 – October 21, 2022) was an American songwriter, Music publisher (popular music), music publishing executive, and recording artist under the stage name Bob Kayli. He released the minor hit song "Everyone Was T ...

* Ralph Hurst *

Charles Jacque Charles-Émile Jacque (23 May 1813 – 7 May 1894) was a French painter of Pastoralism and engraver who was, with Jean-François Millet, part of the Barbizon School. He first learned to engrave maps when he spent seven years in the French Army. ...

Nicolaes Maes Nicolaes Maes (January 1634December 1693 (buried 24 December 1693)) was a Dutch Republic, Dutch painter known for his Genre painting, genre scenes, Portrait painting, portraits, religious compositions and the occasional still life. A pupil of Re ...

* Mario Nuzzi * Claes Oldenberg *

Philip Pearlstein Philip Martin Pearlstein (May 24, 1924 – December 17, 2022) was an American painter best known for Modernist Realist nudes. Cited by critics as the preeminent figure painter of the 1960s to 2000s, he led a revival in realist art. Biography ...

Robert Rauschenberg Milton Ernest "Robert" or "Bob" Rauschenberg (October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) was an American painter and graphic artist whose early works anticipated the Pop art movement. Rauschenberg is well known for his Combine painting, Combines (1954� ...

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

* Severin Roesen *

James Rosenquist James Albert Rosenquist (November 29, 1933 – March 31, 2017) was an American artist and one of the proponents of the pop art movement. Drawing from his background working in sign painting, Rosenquist's pieces often explored the role of advert ...

Henri Rousseau Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (; 21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910)
at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Gug ...

* Joseph van Severdonck *

Thomas Sully Thomas Sully (June 19, 1783November 5, 1872) was an English-American portrait painter. He was born in England, became a naturalized American citizen in 1809, and lived most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including in the Thomas Sull ...

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveauLander, David"The Buyable ...

Joe Tilson Joseph Charles Tilson (24 August 1928 – 9 November 2023) was a British visual artist and fellow of the Royal Academy. He was involved in the Pop Art movement in the 1960s; he made paintings, prints and constructions. Early life and educa ...

James Abbott McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Florida Buildings and structures in Ocala, Florida Museums in Marion County, Florida Pre-Columbian art museums in the United States 1987 establishments in Florida Art museums and galleries established in 1987