NEW MURAL AT RINGLING REFLECTS CIRCUS AND SARASOTA HISTORY
It’s dramatic, remarkable, and cutting-edge. Only one title was possible: The Greatest Show on Earth.
Recently acquired by the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, it’s a 2-story mural that honors and celebrates the performers, history, and excitement of the American circus. At 42 by 22 feet, The Greatest Show on Earth is easily the largest art item at the Ringling and one of the most impressive murals anywhere. Lions, tigers, elephants, and several dozen circus performers are portrayed in action. To say The Greatest Show on Earth is visually vibrant is an understatement. There’s a dynamic sense of movement. Viewers may recognize some of the performers immortalized in the mural, including adored clown Lou Jacobs and lion-tamer Gunther Gebel-Williams.
The story behind The Greatest Show on Earth is almost as fascinating as the remarkable mural itself. Feld Entertainment, the owners of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, in 1989 commissioned artist William Woodward to create the mural for their Virginia headquarters. As part of Feld’s recent corporate relocation to Ellenton, the mural was donated to the Ringling and unveiled in the Tibbals Learning Center, the section of the Ringling dedicated to circus history, on January 19th. Woodward is Professor Emeritus of Fine Art at George Washington University. He has been a recipient of other mural commissions, including one at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and another at the Lincoln Memorial, but The Greatest Show on Earth has been Woodward’s most intimidating challenge.
The Tibbals Learning Center at the Ringling Museum features circus history and art items including posters of all sizes. Rare handbills and wardrobe items dating back to the 1800s are also on display. Additionally, the Tibbals Center is the home of the world's largest miniature circus, The Howard Brothers Circus Model, a miniature replica of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus as it looked in the early 20th century. Philanthropist Howard Tibbals, for whom the Tibbals Center is named, crafted the miniature circus.
The Greatest Show on Earth is on permanent display. View the mural, the miniature circus, and other items that are part of the Tibbals Learning Center at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road in Sarasota. The Museum is open daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day) from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. (with discounted admissions after 5:00 p.m.). Standard admission is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $5 for youths 6 to 17. Group discounts are available. The Ringling Museum of Art is always entirely family-friendly and handicapped-accessible, but pets are not allowed (except for service companion animals). Free parking, including disabled parking, is always available.
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