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Florida Art Collection meticulously and devotedly assembling university of our state is a place where display a portion of the collection in
Added Sam Vickers: “The flagship
This spring, the Harn Museum will
their collection 40 years ago. Robbie
Gifted to the Vickers is an artist who has brought her there’s already a wonderful museum, its main exhibition hall. The exhibition,
University of Florida keen eye to the collection, while Sam but our things will be able to be studied A Florida Legacy: Gift of Samuel H.
and enjoyed for decades to come. That
and Roberta T. Vickers, will be on view
Vickers has traveled the country—and in
some cases even to Europe—to find art will mean a lot to us. We know how through August 1. It will be organized
GAINESVILLE, FL— A private by world-renowned artists who came to great a home the Harn will be.” along six thematic sections that address
collection of Florida works of art, some Florida and captured its beauty. In the The collection’s artists travelled from prominent subjects represented in the
created by the foremost artists of their time since they began collecting, they across the United Vickers Collection:
time, has a new home at the Harn have loaned art from their collection to States and Europe to nature, history,
Museum of Art at the University of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art capture the state’s landmarks,
Florida. The oil paintings, watercolors, and the Whitney Museum of American natural beauty diversions, living
drawings and Art, the National and history. In and impressions.
prints—the Gallery in addition to Sargent, “We are very
largest single Washington, D.C., Homer, Heade, and thankful to Sam and
art collection and assorted Moran, some of the Robbie Vickers for
ever donated to Florida museums. other renowned their generosity,”
the university— The Vickers American artists said Dr. Lee Anne
as well as an Collection is a include Milton Chesterfield, the
extensive art transformational Avery, Ralston Harn Museum of
library is a gift donation for the Crawford, Louis Samuel H. & Roberta T. Vickers Art’s director. “This
from native Harn Museum, Comfort Tiffany and (Randy Batista photo) is a transformational
Floridians Sam which celebrated Marguerite Zorach. gift for the Harn
and Robbie its 30th The works date from the early 1800s to and the University of Florida that will
Vickers. anniversary in mid-1900s. increase the museum’s Modern Art
One of Thomas Moran (American, 1837-1926) Fort George September. “The Vickers Collection is unique in Collection by more than double. As
Island 1880 oil on canvas, 11 x 15 in. The Florida
the world’s Art Collection, a gift from Samuel H. and Roberta T. “The its power to convey both the exquisite an integral part of the University of
most extensive Vickers (Photography by Randy Batista) educational natural beauty and the rich history of Florida campus, the Harn Museum of
Florida-themed part of it is very people in Florida—the ruggedness and Art will share the Vickers’ gift as an
collections, the important to us,” grandeur of its landscapes and the highs important new resource to strengthen
estimated 1,200 works of art capture the Robbie Vickers said of the couple’s gift to and lows of its human history through faculty collaboration, support teaching
state’s landscape and wildlife, historical UF. “Even though we know a great deal the centuries,” UF President Kent Fuchs and enhance class tours, and provide
moments and people, and diverse about the artists and the works of art, said. “Sam and Robbie have shared a research projects for future study.”
scenes of daily life. Among the gifts students and faculty and scholars can treasure with us, and we are thrilled The Harn museum is located at SW
are works by celebrated artists such as research and find out more. We want to have the privilege of sharing their 34th Street and Hull Road on the campus
John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, [the collection] to go to a place where collection in turn with all visitors to the of University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Martin Johnson Heade and Thomas that’s going to happen.” Harn Museum.” For additional information visit: https://
Moran. The Jacksonville couple began harn.ufl.edu/