Museum of Fine Arts (St. Petersburg, Florida)

Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts (St. Petersburg, Florida) is located in Florida
Museum of Fine Arts (St. Petersburg, Florida)
Location within Florida
Established1965
Location255 Beach Drive NE
Saint Petersburg, Florida
Coordinates27°46′30″N 82°37′56″W / 27.77497°N 82.63221°W / 27.77497; -82.63221
TypeArt
DirectorKlaudio Rodriguez
Public transit access
downtown Looper Trolley
Websitewww.mfastpete.org

The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg is an art museum located in the Downtown Waterfront District in Saint Petersburg, Florida.[1] It is the first museum in St. Petersburg and holds the largest collection of art in the Tampa Bay area. With over 20,000 objects spanning nearly 5,000 years of human history, the museum maintains the only comprehensive global collection on Florida's Gulf Coast.[2] Klaudio Rodriguez has served as Executive Director and CEO since 2024.[3]

History

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) was founded in 1961 by art collector and philanthropist Margaret Acheson Stuart (1896–1980) and opened to the public in 1965. Stuart provided a $1 million endowment for artwork acquisition and operations, alongside donating key works from her personal collection. The Margaret Acheson Stuart Society, the museum's independent support organization, is named in her honor.[4][5][6]

The City of St. Petersburg provided the four-acre waterfront site for the construction of the original building, and The Junior League of St. Petersburg helped fund the construction of the Great Hall.[2] The original building was designed by Palm Beach architect John Volk in a Neoclassical style featuring a curving colonnade along Beach Drive. Volk stated that "a museum should give a feeling of permanence and that is what I have tried to do with this building."[2]

During the planning phase beginning in 1962, Stuart and the museum's founding director, Rexford Stead, maintained offices in a building located at 201 Beach Drive. This building previously housed the Art Club—later known as the Morean Arts Center—and served as the museum's temporary administration building. Following the completion of the main building in early 1965, the temporary structure was demolished. To commemorate the 50-year-old structure that had occupied the site, Stead planted a bombax tree on the south lawn, which remains on the grounds today, shortly after the museum opened.[2][7]

The museum completed a major expansion with the opening of the Hazel Hough Wing Designed by Yann Weymouth of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), the 39,000-square-foot addition more than doubled the museum's footprint, adding new exhibition galleries, event spaces, and visitor amenities.[8]

Situated along Straub Park overlooking Tampa Bay and the St. Pete Pier, the museum campus features a central Mediterranean-style courtyard, sculpture garden, and public outdoor display spaces designed to integrate the gallery experience with the waterfront setting.

Permanent Collection

The museum houses a permanent collection of over 20,000 objects.

The museum’s photography collection is recognized as one of the largest and most significant in the Southeastern United States, spanning the history of the medium from early daguerreotypes to contemporary photography. It features major works by Ansel Adams, Edward Steichen, Julia Margaret Cameron, Carrie Mae Weems, James Van Der Zee, and Aaron Siskind.[9][10]

Exhibitions

Notable exhibitions hosted by the museum include:  

Exhibitions at the MFA have received coverage in national publications, including The New York Times[12], Artnet[13], Forbes[14], Harper’s Bazaar[15], and Vanity Fair[16].

Publications

The museum offers members MOSAIC, a bi-monthly exclusive publication that features upcoming exhibits, program spotlights, employee articles, merchandise, and more.[17] They also offers members Happenings, a weekly e-newsletter with discounts for their cafe and gift shop.

References

  1. ↑ "MFA Home - Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg". mfastpete.org. September 23, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "History - Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg". September 10, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Klaudio Rodriguez to leave Bronx Museum for head role at MFA St.Petersburg". artreview.com. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Home". Margaret Acheson Stuart Society. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  5. ↑ Bennett, L. (2015, January 27). How one woman launched the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, 50 Years Ago. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved from https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/visualarts/how-one-woman-launched-the-museum-of-fine-arts-st-petersburg-50-years-ago/2215312/
  6. ↑ Steele, Nick (May 1, 2026). "In The Frame - St. Pete Life Magazine". Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  7. ↑ "How one woman launched the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, 50 years ago". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Beginning of big things for the arts". St. Petersburg Times. December 5, 2006.
  9. ↑ DeYoung, Bill (April 23, 2021). "MFA photography exhibit focuses on 'Margins to Mainstays'". St Pete Catalyst. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  10. ↑ Ring, Jennifer (November 24, 2020). "The Story of Photography at the MFA". Creative Pinellas. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Past Exhibitions - Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg". September 17, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  12. ↑ Malget, Morgan (April 15, 2026). "What to See This Spring at Museums Across the Country". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Art and Pro Wrestling Collide in a Major Florida Exhibition". Artnet News. September 26, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  14. ↑ Walsh, Brienne. "Are Women Photographers As Talented As Male Photographers? An Exhibition In Florida Argues The Obvious". Forbes. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Gio Swaby's Textile Portraits Are a Love Letter to Black Womanhood". Harper's BAZAAR. April 6, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  16. ↑ Holliday, Kayla (June 17, 2022). "9 New Books to Read in June". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  17. ↑ "mfastpete Publisher Publications". Issuu. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
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