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Art

Bearing gifts of artistry

From a Dali-inspired camisole to a Van Gogh doll with detachable ear, local museum shops offer creative gifts unlikely to be duplicated.

By LENNIE BENNETT
Published December 15, 2005

Hallucinogenic Toreador camisole, $29.95, and silk tie, $40. (Dali Museum)

	One-of-a-kind dragonfly pin, $64. (Museum of Fine Arts)

Time was, you patronized a museum store only if you wanted a mug, T-shirt or poster as a kitschy memento of the visit.

How times have changed.

Local arts institutions are following the charge of retail wizards at mega institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which reap millions in shop sales with savvy selections.

We recently did a sweep of some museums and arts centers in the area and found lots of gift ideas, many one-of-a-kind or made for and sold only in that shop. Most have excellent children's selections and beautiful art books. Prices begin at several dollars and continue into the hundreds.

Shown here is just a small slice of what we found, with the source noted in parentheses; see accompanying list for full information.

- LENNIE BENNETT, Times art critic

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
600 Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs
(727) 712-5762
www.spcollege.edu/museum

Museum of Fine Arts
255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg
(727) 896-2667
www.fine-arts.org

John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota
(941) 359-5700
www.ringling.org

[Last modified December 14, 2005, 14:08:45]