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© St. Petersburg Times, published April 18, 2002
The art of anime
Few viewers will feel neutral about My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation, opening Sunday at the Tampa Museum of Art. The genre known as anime (pronounced ah-nee-may) has an international following that borders on cult status. The art will seem cutting edge to some and superficial and trite to others. The main components are comic book and cartoon images such as Venus #2 by Masakatu Iwamoto, above, typically combined with traditional Japanese art forms and futuristic elements. Very young children might be frightened by some of the work -- two 16-foot inflatable rabbits at the entrance to the gallery come to mind. But this is mostly a family-friendly show that can provoke thought and discussion.
The Tampa Museum of Art is at 600 N Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The museum is closed Monday. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors over 62 and $3 for students. Children younger than 6 are free. No admission is charged on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. or Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. For information, call (813) 274-8130.
As design director of Tiffany & Co. since 1979, John Loring is one of the world's uber tastemakers. He is in Sarasota this week to participate in the opening events for Ca d'Zan, the magnificent mansion of John and Mable Ringling on the Ringling Museum grounds that has undergone a six-year, $15-million restoration. The house opens to the public on April 26, and on display will be many of the Tiffany silver items -- from flatware to vases -- collected by the Ringlings.
Today at 3 p.m., Loring will present a lecture at the Circus Museum, also on the grounds, about that silver and the lavish lifestyle of the Ringlings and other wealthy collectors during the 1920s and 1930s. He will also sign copies of his latest book, Magnificent Tiffany Silver (Abrams, $60).
Tickets are $15 to the public and $10 for Ringling Museum members. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is at 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. For information or to purchase tickets, call (941) 373-7800.