A new exhibit, which opened on April 18, features 85 artworks from the Tampa Museum of Art’s permanent antiquities collection, adding to the over 500 objects already on view. Thanks to additional gallery spaces added during the Museum’s Centennial Renovation 2023, this is the largest proportion of the Museum’s permanent collection of ancient Greek and Roman antiquities ever on display at one time.
Joseph Veach Noble: Through the Eye of a Collector displays artworks the Tampa Museum of Art acquired from the eminent collection of Joseph Veach Noble for the first time since 1986. Mr. Noble was an administrator at the Metropolitan Museum and later director of the Museum of the City of New York, who amassed perhaps the largest private collection of ancient Greek and Italian ceramic vases.
“The breadth of themes, styles, forms, and techniques within the Noble collection of Greek and Italian vases is of international renown. Upon completing our Centennial Renovation project last year, we knew we had to seize the first opportunity to spotlight this collection more fully,” said Michael Tomor, Ph.D., the Penny and Jeff Vinik Executive Director of the Tampa Museum of Art. “For the first time, our expanded galleries allow us to collectively illuminate important aspects of the Noble collection, including ancient Athenian myth and religion, warfare and athletics, wine culture and cosmetics, daily life and entertainment.”
The Tampa Museum of Art’s 1986 acquisition from Noble’s collection became the cornerstone of its burgeoning permanent collection of antiquities that has since grown to about 875 objects (and counting). The Centennial Renovation provided for enhanced gallery spaces, allowing the museum to feature exhibitions such as the Noble collection. The renovation project also expanded the gallery space for multimedia projections and more kinetic exhibitions. In addition, the renovations added state-of-the-art storage for enhanced maintenance operations. The Centennial Renovation project also included the following transformations:
- The education department expanded from 1,400 square feet to the 8,000-square-foot Vinik Family Education Center, with its own entrances and exits so programs can take place outside regular exhibition gallery hours. The Vinik Family Education Center also features new, expanded student exhibition spaces.
- Areas previously occupied by administrative and curatorial storage functions were renovated to include lecture rooms, classrooms, and artist workspaces.
- A new Docent Lounge allows volunteers and staff to meet in a designated area to plan programs and receive instruction about exhibitions and the permanent collection from staff.
Fundraising continues for the next phase of the Centennial Campaign, a 51,000 sq. ft. expansion of the museum’s footprint, creating an interconnected series of multi-functional spaces that will more than triple the current 7,200 sq. ft. of event space. A new 150-seat, raked-floor auditorium, an art lounge, a large event space with digital exhibition opportunities, and a rooftop sculpture terrace will provide flexible settings for a wide range of art and cultural programming. An additional 72,000 sq. ft. surrounding site redevelopment that includes outdoor dining and sculpture areas will bring life and art to the redeveloped public spaces along Curtis Hixon Park and the Tampa Riverwalk. This phase of the comprehensive and expansive master plan will create a more vibrant space for art and our community. Support of this project will connect the community, inspire individuals, and contribute to the economic health of the Tampa Bay region.
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