A Rare Glimpse into Private Art Collections of Southwest Florida

New exhibition features original works by artistic legends including Louise Bourgeois, Chuck Close, Kara Walker, Ai Weiwei, and more.



Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design (SAM) is proud to announce its upcoming exhibition, “Something Borrowed, Something New,” opening to the public on April 19, 2026. This landmark exhibition offers a never-before-seen look into the extraordinary contemporary and modern artworks held in private collections throughout Sarasota, Longboat Key, and Tampa, Florida.

The exhibition features a “who’s who” of the modern and contemporary art world, with works by such legendary figures as Louise Bourgeois, Yoan Capote, Chuck Close, David Hockney, Alex Katz, KAWS, Faith Ringgold, Richard Serra, Cindy Sherman, Hank Willis Thomas, Kara Walker, Ai Weiwei, and more. Visitors will experience an eclectic range of media, including paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs and new media works.
 
“Often when we present artworks by artists of this caliber, the works are coming to us through travelling exhibitions,” shared Virginia Shearer, executive director of Sarasota Art Museum. “But what’s special about these works is that they are essentially coming to us from our own backyard. This show will feature works from multiple private collections. These stellar works have never been shown together before, and likely never will again.”

Derrick Adams (American, born 1970). Floater 80 (Self-Portrait), 2018. Acrylic paint on paper, 40 x 40 in. © Derrick Adams. Courtesy Gagosian. In the collection of Elizabeth and William Kahane. Photo: John Berens Studio

Curated by Rangsook Yoon, Ph.D., senior curator at Sarasota Art Museum, the exhibition creates a dynamic dialogue between 20th-century trailblazers and many leading artists of today. By pairing “borrowed” masterpieces from local collectors with some “new” and recent works either borrowed from artists or collectors, the Museum celebrates the region’s deep-rooted passion for the visual arts.
 
“‘Something Borrowed, Something New’ draws on the generosity of private collectors and the artistic depth of the works held within our own community,” shared Yoon. “The title uses a familiar phrase to point to the layered meanings of notions of borrowing and newness while suggesting that something borrowed could be also something new. Some borrowed things feel new to us because we encounter them in a fresh way; artists also continually borrow, reinterpret and appropriate earlier ideas, motifs, iconographies and genres to make something novel and fresh.  Presenting these borrowed works alongside new works, the exhibition offers a broader view of art history, where the icons of the last century meet the innovators of our present day.”
 
The city’s only museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art, Sarasota Art Museum is committed to making exceptional art accessible to people from all walks of life.

Arturo Herrera (Venezuelan, born 1959). F&G, 2025. Two-run screenprint, 45 1/2 x 35 7/8 in. Published by Graphicstudio, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. Private Collection of Stanton Storer. Photo: Will Lytch.
 
“At its heart, this exhibition is really a celebration of our own community’s championship of the arts,” continued Shearer. “Bringing these remarkable works by these legendary artists out from private view and into our public space means that, for six months, our entire community, from families and school groups and arts aficionados to the art-curious, can collectively celebrate the rich and vibrant arts culture of our region, learn together from this abundant art history and see these works they might otherwise never have the opportunity to see here on the Suncoast.”
 
“Something Borrowed, Something New” is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Rangsook Yoon, senior curator at Sarasota Art Museum.



#

About Sarasota Art Museum
Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design (SAM) is the city’s only museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Founded in 2019, SAM features an ever-rotating lineup of world-class exhibitions, dynamic programs and enriching educational offerings and serves as a creative gathering place for curious minds from across the Gulf Coast, Southeast United States and beyond. Housed in the historic former Sarasota High School, the Museum has revitalized and reimagined the towering landmark and architectural treasure, connecting Sarasota’s past with its present. Today, SAM is home to 15,000 square feet of gallery exhibition space, where nationally touring shows, as well as curated and commissioned exhibits by both renowned and emerging artists, deepen visitors’ appreciation for 20th and 21st century art. More at SarasotaArtMuseum.org.