Imagining Florida: History and Myth in the Sunshine State

Imagining Florida: History and Myth in the Sunshine State is a major anthology of art made in and inspired by Florida and its people, places, flora, and fauna. 

Drawing upon significant public and private collections nationwide, the exhibition brings together more than 200 artworks of high artistic caliber – and many that are rare historically – to depict the history and mythology of the state through the eyes of some of the most celebrated artists of the period. These paintings, drawings, and photographs 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 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, Milton Avery, 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.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

Philip Pearlstein, Swamp, Camp Blanding, Florida, 1943, Watercolor on paper. Courtesy of the artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery.

 Whether or not you go, the catalog, Imagining Florida: History and Myth in the Sunshine State, tells the story of Florida through the eyes of artists. It brings together for the first time the paintings, drawings, and photographs from the exhibition that portray many different aspects of the state, as seen by a wide range of artists.  

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