The museum contains the house and art collection of John Ringling, a millionaire who not only poured money into the fledging community beginning in the 1920s, but also gave it a taste for fine arts that it has never lost.

Charmed by Sarasota and recognizing its investment potential, Ringling built the first causeway to the barrier islands and made the town his circus’s winter base, saving a fortune in northern heating bills and generating tremendous publicity for the town in the process.

His greatest gift to Sarasota was a Venetian Gothic mansion and an incredible collection of European Baroque paintings, displayed in a Museum built for the purpose beside the house.