Xavier Cortada,  Florida International University College of Architecture & the Arts Artist-in-Residence, discusses artistic portrayals of Florida’s natural and human history as part of the Museum of Florida History’s educational programming for Reflections: Paintings of Florida 1865-1965.  Cortada’s presentation is sponsored through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council.

The Museum of Florida History (http://www.museumoffloridahistory.com/exhibits) is excited to host the special exhibition Reflections: Paintings of Florida 1865–1965, From the collection of Cici and Hyatt Brown. The exhibit opens November 16, 2012, and closes May 6, 2013. The Museum of Arts and Sciences (http://moas.org/reflections_press.html), Daytona Beach organized the exhibit.

This exhibit features eighty-five works of art that highlight Florida’s unique and beautiful landscape. The paintings were created by many of the most influential artists who have painted Florida’s natural environment and famous landmarks in the past 150 years. Among the notable artists whose work is in this exhibition are Martin Johnson Heade, Herman Herzog, Laura Woodward, N. C. Wyeth, George Inness, Jr., and A. E. Backus.

Former Curator of The Morris Museum of Art Jay Williams notes, “While beautifully expressing the uniqueness of Florida, ‘Reflections’ transcends the usual limitations of regional art because of its extraordinary quality and the importance of art in shaping Florida’s image.”

Reflections: Paintings of Florida 1865–1965, From the collection of Cici and Hyatt Brown by Gary R. Libby, the exhibition catalogue, is available for purchase in Florida’s History Shop. Plan now to view these extraordinary paintings.