I was absolutely blown away by the diversity and quality of art I saw here–stretching from flawless Greek sculptures to clever modern art to Florida-infused masterpieces. This is a highly recommended Tampa experience.
First off, the building is a work of art on its own merit:
The building has won a number of architectural honors, including the American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture, which, from what I understand, is a big deal.
The Tampa Museum of Art is breathtakingly stunning at night:
Moving inside there is a lobby, cafe, and ticket counter. I received my ticket and climbed the stairs to the second floor where the collection is housed (there is elevator access too).
The first work of art I encountered dangled from the ceiling and was called “Kiss and Tell” by Wolfgang Flad.
Continuing on, I explored what afterwards would be my favorite exhibits: The Greek and Roman Antiquities Collection and The Classical World Collection.
There were also a number of interesting pottery pieces. To me it is incredible that these pieces can be found, a couple thousand years later, and still be intact.
There was also a mummy coffin, aka, sarcophagus:
One of the large halls displayed photographs of Florida landscapes and people through the years, which was fascinating to see how people and places have changed (and haven’t changed) through the years.
During my visit, the museum was displaying an exhibition of James Rosenquist works, who was a part-time Floridian.
Like a puzzle, I tried to unlock the meaning behind each painting. Does the red tire mark represent an on/off interstate ramp? Do the black dots represent darkness below the Tampa’s glittery surface? Really I had no idea. But it was fun guessing.
As you can probably tell I absolutely loved my visit to the Tampa Museum of Art and I can definitely recommend it if you are in the area.
An extra bonus: it is within walking distance of Glazer Children’s Museum, Henry B. Plant Museum, and the Museum of Photographic Arts.
Doing it on the cheap…
There are a bunch of ways to tour the Tampa Museum of Art on the cheap:
- Attend free via Bank of America’s “Museums On Us” program, which I wrote about here.
- College students get in free with a student ID.
- Art on the House is every Thursday evening from 4:00pm – 8:00pm. Admission is pay-as-you-will.
- The museum typically participates in the Blue Star Museum program every year, which provides free admission to active duty personnel and their families from the beginning of summer through Labor Day.
- Attend free (donations welcome) during Tampa’s Fourth Friday celebration, which I wrote about here.
- Free admission if you stay at the Le Méridien in downtown Tampa. The hotel will provide you with a pass.
Location: 120 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, FL 33602
Admission: Adult $15.00 | Students $5.00| College Students FREE | Seniors (Ages 65+), Military, & FL Educators $7.50 | Children 6 and Under FREE
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm | Thursday 10:00am – 8:00pm | Saturday & Sunday 10:00am – 5:00pm | 4th Friday 10:00am – 7:00pm
Phone: 813-421-8380
Website: http://tampamuseum.org/
Photo Credits: Tampa Museum of Art At Daytime by Zeng8r | Tampa Museums At Night by Matthew Paulson | Rest of the photos are by me
(updated 08/25/2019)
