VERO BEACH, Fla. — A unique art exhibition is underway in Vero Beach where you don’t have to travel the world to see some of the world’s best-known artists.
You don’t have to be an art historian to appreciate the bold-face names on display right now at the Vero Beach Museum of Art.
"Matisse print. We have some Rembrandt prints dating back to the 1640s," said Anke Van Wagenberg, the senior curator at the museum.
Coming out of the pandemic, a decision was made to craft an exhibition that wouldn’t entail getting art shipped here from around the globe, but to focus on what was hanging in local homes.
"I visited over 50 collectors in Vero Beach," Van Wagenberg said. "We have two Chagalls in the show."
The result was a show called "Vero Collects: Hidden Treasures Revealed."
"Most of these works have never been on display publicly," Van Wagenberg said. "It's great after COVID that we have a real community event."
Art lovers like Marisa Mitchell, who grew up in Vero Beach, appreciate the opportunity to see these great works.
"There are people that live here that can afford a Monet or something like that," Mitchell said.
Van Wagenberg said the generosity of the art community makes this a success.
"One collector I went to visit said, oh, do you know so and so? They have collection of this and that," Van Wagenberg said. "There were so many excellent works of quality, we had to limit it to three per collection."
"I think it’s wonderful that people will share. That there’s this beauty that was probably only seen by their family," said Marlin Ebbert of Coral Gables.
The exhibit runs through May 15. The museum is open each week from Tuesday through Sunday.
