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The original 12,000-square-foot collection galleries at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg have recently reopened after a major renovation and reinstallation project to enhance the presentation of the museum's encyclopedic collection that spans 5,000 years of art history. New galleries were created, and others expanded such as this space dedicated to art related to the Baroque Period, which includes a mix of art works from the MFA’s collection as well as exquisite Old Master paintings on long-term loan from the Grasset Family of Spain. In this image: European Art 13-18th Centuries - Baroque Gallery.

MFA Executive Director and CEO Kristen A. Shepherd said the last update to the collection galleries occurred in 2013, but did not include substantial changes to the layout or placement of artworks. After months of discussions and planning with the museum’s curators about the objects within the collection, the collection’s nature, the history of the building and its galleries, and the opportunities to engage in new ways with local communities, the MFA commenced the interior construction work in Spring 2020. The project coincides with the museum’s 55th anniversary. In this image: European Art 13-18th Centuries - Rococo Gallery.

Recent acquisitions, extraordinary loans, and world-class donations are making their debut in the newly-renovated galleries, as well as exquisite pieces that have been remarkably restored due to generous individual donors and the philanthropy of the Collectors Circle, the MFA’s premier support group that raises funds for significant acquisitions and conservation projects. Shown in this image: Medici pietre dure, or hard stone, panel depicting a vase of flowers, c. 1625, one of six known to exisit in the world.

The new interior design enables the MFA to achieve a goal of Shepherd’s since she first arrived at the museum: to exhibit the diverse collection in deeper contexts of both art and history, and to create a beautiful space where connections can be made across time and cultures around the globe. In this image: Roman Imperial period, Roman, Syria, Kline (bed/couch) Monument with a Reclining couple and Erotes, c. A.D. 175–200, Marble, On loan from a private collection. This installation was made possible by Phoenix Ancient Art.

Visitors will not only see, but also hear a dramatic difference in the collection galleries with the new program, Resonance, which explores the relationship between sound and visual art. This season, recorded selections from The Florida Orchestra will be played in specific galleries throughout the day, bringing an aural context to works in the collection. Resonance will later include spoken word, poetry, classic prose, and artists’ writings. In this image: European and American Art of the 19th and 20th Centuries - Impressionism and Post Impressionism Gallery.

The renovation fully showcases the beauty, depth and diversity of the state’s largest encyclopedic museum, with a new flow that reinvents the original 1965 galleries while enhancing how visitors experience the MFA. In this image: African Gallery.

The project was originally planned to start in Summer 2020. However, when the MFA temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, it was decided to accelerate the renovation schedule and do the work concurrently rather than in phases. In this image: American Art of the 19th Century Gallery.

"The gallery spaces have all been completely transformed," said MFA Board Chairman Fred Razook. "Every change was so thoughtful, with a focus on both scholarship and visitor experience. It will transform how our guests explore the museum. It has been a thrill to be a part of this moment, as we continue to fulfill our responsibility to our collection and our community." In this image: Post-War American Art Gallery.

The dynamic and diverse MFA Collection is comprised of nearly 19,000 works of art from ancient to contemporary art. As part of the reinstallation, over 100 works are now displayed that were previously not in the galleries when the MFA temporarily closed in March. Many are on view for the first time, or returning after several years in art storage. In this image: European and American Art of the 19th and 20th Centuries - Romanticism and Barbizon School Gallery.

"We are tremendously excited for visitors to rediscover the Museum of Fine Arts," Shepherd said. "With major acquisitions in recent years, it was the right moment for us to showcase our important and evolving collection, which has been completely reinstalled to reimagine how we tell the story of art. It’s a thrilling moment in our history, and a step forward for the MFA, for the arts, and for the Tampa Bay region." In this image: Modern Art Gallery.