The story of Florida through the eyes of artists
“Shows the variety of visual experience that Florida has offered artists, both famous and unknown, since its first years of habitation but also the different media that these artists have resorted to in order to reflect their vision. This is a unique salute to Florida’s exotic, mundane, tragic, hilarious, and romantic history.”—Caroline Seebohm, author of Monumental Dreams: The Life and Sculpture of Ann Norton
This stunning anthology presents nearly 200 works of art that illustrate the history and diversity of Florida. Selected from public and private collections across the United States, these paintings, drawings, and photographs—some not widely seen before—display how the Sunshine State has inspired leading figures in American art as well as popular local folk artists.
From natural landscapes to frontier outposts to burgeoning towns, the scenes featured in Imagining Florida: History and Myth in the Sunshine State portray many different aspects of the state—its deep-rooted Seminole and Miccosukee heritage, its historic African American communities, its identity as a tourist destination. Artists include William Bartram, John James Audubon, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Milton Avery, Garry Winogrand, Sally Michel, and Doris Lee. Brought together for the first time in this colorful and surprising book, these visual interpretations of the state are a fascinating exploration of the myths and realities of Florida.
The Boca Raton Museum of Art serves as the cultural heart of Boca Raton, Florida. Emphasizing cultural, artistic, and intellectual diversity, the museum is international in scope while reflecting the creative expression of the city, region, and state.
Jennifer Hardin is former chief curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida. Gary Monroe is the author of numerous books, including E. G. Barnhill: Florida Photographer, Adventurer, Entrepreneur and The Highwaymen: Florida’s African-American Landscape Painters.
The Florida Bookshelf 