In June, two art handlers moved through the halls of Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum, into the There & Here: New Perspectives of the Permanent Collection exhibition, and stopped in front of an empty spot on the wall, carefully hoisting a 6-by-5-foot abstracted canvas. It’s a 1965 Hans Hofmann, washed in softly saturated strokes of tiger orange, oaken brown and vibrant green with a crisp cerulean rectangle positioned just left of center. Entitled Paling Moon, and completed at the end of a career foundational in the shaping of American expressionism, the painting is, undoubtedly, a masterpiece.
Any museum in the country would have been thrilled to bring the donation from Joan Stonecipher into its permanent collection. Since the Naples collector purchased the piece in the ’90s, Paling Moon has never been shown publicly. “But [Joan] realized that the donation of this work to The Baker Museum would have a much greater impact than it would at a larger institution that likely has a dozen iconic paintings,” says Artis—Naples CEO and president Kathleen van Bergen.
“This is not the piece that goes into storage; this is the piece you put on display,” says museum director and chief curator Courtney McNeil.
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Hugh Merrill (American, b. 1949) Who Be Boo, 1998 Vitreograph print 22.5 x 26.75 in. (57.15 x 67.95 cm.) Gift of Carol L. Shay, Collection of FGCU Art Galleries 2022.0004.0114 2023.0001.0001
permanent collections naples hugh merrill who be boo
At Florida SouthWestern State College’s Bob Rauschenberg Gallery, Jade Dellinger preserves the work of the gallery’s namesake—and the region’s most famous—artist, who lived and worked on Captiva for 40 years. The gallery’s recent Rauschenberg at 100: As Large As The World Is exhibition showcased a two never-before-shown piece from Rauschenberg’s The Runts series (pictured next).
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Robert Rauschenberg’s Untitled (The Runts series) (2006–08)/Courtesy Bob Rauschenberg Gallery
permanent collections naples Robert Rauschenberg the runt series untitled
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Carmelo Blandino (Sicilian, b. 1966) Ethos, 2019 Acrylic and pastel on stretched canvas 93 x 96 in (236.22 x 243.84 cm.) Gift of Martin M. Wasmer, Collection of FGCU Art Galleries
permanent collections naples carmelo blandino ethos
Permanent collections are a funny thing. They remain mostly out of sight: researched and repaired, cataloged and stored, perhaps displayed, perhaps not. The average museum-goer doesn’t give much thought to which exhibits are owned by the institution and which are simply visiting, yet there is a sort of implicit understanding that a permanent collection is what shapes the identity of a given institution. What is less intuitive is how instrumental these collections are in giving an arts community its shape.
In recent years, coveted grants, national awards and an influx of fine art collectors have driven headlines across the region. These developments aren’t sudden. They’re built, in part, on the slow and steady groundwork of institutions like Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum; Florida Gulf Coast University Art Galleries; and Florida SouthWestern State College’s Bob Rauschenberg Gallery, which have spent years building the kind of art repositories that inspire local devotion and signal to outsiders that this is a place that values and invests in the arts.
Over the past 12 months, a series of permanent collection exhibitions have brought the conversation to the forefront. There & Here: New Perspectives of the Permanent Collection pulls on the museum’s collection of contemporary art and modern art from Mexico, Europe and the United States to tell a story about migration; Rauschenberg at 100: As Large As The World Is at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery honored the centennial of the region’s most famed artist; and three showings from FGCU Art Galleries (two of which have closed) explore printmaking.
Three institutions, three collections, three philosophies—each building and preserving the region’s cultural cachet through considered growth, careful conservation and an emphasis on access.
The Bob Rauschenberg Gallery, helmed by director of exhibitions and collections Jade Dellinger, centers its collecting approach and ethos on stewarding the legacy of its namesake artist—a titan of 20th-century art who called Captiva Island home for 40 years. Alongside pieces held in its permanent collection—like three pieces from his The Runts series—Jade travels the world to speak about Rauschenberg and collect stories from the institutions and communities he impacted in his lifetime. Through exhibit documentation and casual conversation, Jade conveys how Rauschenberg was influenced by his time working in China, and how that shows up on the canvas; how life experiences shaped his values as much as his art; how people remember his time on Captiva. The FSW team also ensures that legacy persists, inviting contemporary artists like Steve Keene, who draw inspiration from Rauschenberg, to create dedicated series that build on the visual conversation the artist started decades ago.
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Hans Hofmann (Germany, 1880-1966). Paling Moon, 1965. Oil on canvas, 72 x 60 in. Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum. Partial and promised gift of Joan W. Stonecipher, PG2026.1
permanent collections naples hans hofmann paling moon
Local permanent collections set the tone for the region’s arts scene. When Naples collector Joan Stonecipher decided to donate her Hans Hofmann masterpiece, Paling Moon, she forewent larger institutions in favor of Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum, where her friends, the Sibracks, recently donated a portion of their collection.
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Robert Gwathmey (American, 1903-1988) Singing and Mending, 1946 Color screenprint 12.125 x 14.25 in. (30.798 x 36.195 cm.) Gift of Peter Massing, Collection of FGCU Art Galleries 2022.0002.0558
permanent collections naples robert gwathmey singing and mending
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Mildred Thompson (American, 1936-2003) Helio Centric #3, 1993 Vitreograph print 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.64 cm.) Gift of Carol L. Shay, Collection of FGCU Art Galleries 2021.0006.0087.2
permanent collections naples mildred thompson helio centric
Under gallery director John Loscuito and art collections manager Caitlin Rosolen, FGCU Art Galleries has grown to house a significant repository of works on paper. As part of FGCU’s education mission, students are involved in the permanent collection’s preservation process, conducting research, matting, framing and, when approved, making minor repairs to works on paper. “We’re not equipped to do major restorations, so we’re careful to keep everything archival and reversible,” John says. Supervised student aides cycle through the process.
At Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum, the collecting philosophy revolves around considered growth and documented quality. Though relatively young for a museum of its caliber, the space defines the narrative of fine art in Naples as a place where quality is respected, collected and protected. “It’s less about collecting locally than it is about collecting thoughtfully from exhibitions that we’ve put together,” Courtney says, offering up the annual Florida Contemporary showcase of outstanding statewide talent as an example. “What a shame it would be if, 50 years from now, somebody’s doing research on Florida arts in the 2020s and reflects on this amazing program and how important it was, yet our collection had no representation of these artists.”
Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum was founded by Myra Janco Daniels, who was in competition with prominent collector Olga Hirshhorn to create the region’s first proper art museum. Years later, Olga would donate the breadth of her collection to the institution, helping to solidify the museum’s current-day focus on art of the highest caliber. When Larry and Rita Sibrack were searching for a city to plant their Florida roots, they chose Naples, in part, because of the cultural presence Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum had come to represent. And, last year, the couple donated 74 works from their whimsical glass and ceramics collection to the permanent collection. Soon after, the Sibracks’ friend Joan Stonecipher forewent more established national museums and donated her priceless Hans Hofmann to Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum.
Carmelo Blandino (Sicilian, b. 1966) The Hero’s Journey (Left panel, artist owns right panel), 2023 Collaborative mixed media project between artist Carmelo Blandino and FGCU students Sarah Baker, Ash Cohen, and Breah Fyffe Acrylic and silkscreen on aluminum panel (Left panel) 30 x 84 in. (76.2 x 213.36 cm) Gift of Artist, Collection of FGCU Art Galleries 2023.0002.0001
permanent collections naples carmelo blandino the heros journey
Florida Gulf Coast University Art Galleries bring students into the research, matting, framing and minor restoration work required to maintain a collection of works on paper.
But it’s not always a straight line from available work and acquisition. Building a collection that shapes culture means holding fast to your identity and purpose. “When it comes to the permanent collection, the most important thing is to be clear about what we do and do not collect so that we can be the most responsible stewards possible,” Courtney says.
FGCU Art Galleries’ collection began to take shape in 2014 with a major donation from Carol L. Shay, the daughter of Harvey K. Littleton. Littleton began his artistic career as a glassblower and is widely considered the father of the studio glass movement. In the latter half of his career, Littleton worked with about 100 aides and apprentices to create more than 1,000 prints. Save a few that have vanished from the market, FGCU was gifted the entirety of Littleton’s vitreograph prints. “We also have a lot of the printer’s proofs, we have a lot of the color variations, the trial proofs, the glass plates,” John says. “We’re one of two institutions that have the complete collection of prints that were produced at Littleton Studios.”
The Littleton acquisition attracted additional donations from artists and collectors seeking a facility with the experience needed to properly care for a print-based collection—people like lauded printmaker Peter Massing and the late FGCU professor Andy Owen.
The Peter Massing acquisition came about, in part, by a stroke of luck and mutual respect. In 2021, Jade invited Peter’s brother, Jack, an artist in his own right, to participate in an exhibition on the FSW campus. Peter, by then in his 60s and looking for a home for his legacy, came for the show and mentioned that he was looking for an institution that was equipped to take on his personal collection. But Jade realized that the gallery lacked the space for the gift, which ultimately did not clearly fit within the gallery’s Rauschenberg-focused collecting ethos. So he called John. “The collection has really been a matter of both concerted effort and luck,” John says. “When I came on board in 2014, the opportunity to accept a gift of prints presented itself, so we made the decision that we wanted to become a collecting institution. When I reached out to Carol, that was kind of a decisive moment, that that’s what we were going to do. The luck of the draw was having that connection with Jade, which then led to Peter.”
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Roy Lichtenstein (United States, 1923-1997). Water Lily Pond with Reflections, 1992. Screenprinted enamel on stainless steel in painted aluminum frame, 58 x 84 1/2 in. Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum. Gift of Paul and Charlotte Corddry, 2016.1.11
permanent collections naples roy lichtenstein water lily pond with reflrections
Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum, centers its collection on modern art from Mexico, Europe and the United States, as well as select contemporary works, like Roy Lichtenstein’s Water Lily Pond with Reflections. The museum also makes an effort to collect pieces from the artists who exhibit within its walls, building a living history of art.
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Marina Font (Argentine, b. 1970) Untitled, 2017 Archival pigment print on canvas, gesso, found textile and thread, mounted on wood panel 16 x 13 x 1.5 in. (40.64 x 33.02 x 3.81 cm) Gift of Artist, Collection of FGCU Art Galleries 2020.0005.0001
permanent collections marina font untitled