Golf is a game that attracts players of all skill levels and ages, and it is played all around the globe. The sport’s rich history is depicted in The Art of Golf at the Museum of Fine Arts in downtown St. Petersburg.

The first major museum exhibition in the United States devoted to the game, The Art of Golf  is organized by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the National Galleries of Scotland and spans four centuries of golf. It features around 90 works by artists including Rembrandt van Rijn, Hendrick Avercamp, Sir Henry Raeburn, Childe Hassam, George Bellows, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol and the celebrated photographer Harold Edgerton.

Charles Lees’ extraordinary painting, The Golfers from 1847 (and pictured with this article) is the highlight of the exhibit. Lees’ works depicts the Old Course at St. Andrews with 54 spectators at a famous foursome match. The picture is seven-feet wide and is considered by many to be the world’s greatest image of golfing. Before the exhibition’s opening at the High Museum of Art last February, Lees’ painting had never ventured to the United States.

Through etchings, paintings and golf memorabilia that contains balls, clubs and clothing, The Art of Golf takes visitors on a chronological journey starting with images of kolf, a cousin of the modern game, which is illustrated in 17th Dutch landscape and genre paintings. This part of the exhibition features an impressionistic rendering of the Maidstone Club, East Hampton, in Dune Hazard, No. 2 (1922) by Hassam and a striking painting of a California golf course by George Bellows.

The accomplishments and popularity of Robert Tyre “Bobby” Jones, Jr. (1902-1971) are highlighted with multiple portraits and photographs. Quintessential modern American artists are also represented with a painting of Jack Nicklaus by Warhol from his “Athlete Series” and an enigmatic drawing of Arnold Palmer by Larry Rivers.

Opened in 1965, the Museum of Fine Arts features one of the most comprehensive art collections on Florida’s west coast. Among the highlights are masterpieces from Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and others, a sculpture garden, a Steuben glass gallery and one of Florida’s most renowned photography collections.

The Art of Golf will be showcased through February 17, 2013 at the museum, which is located at 255 Beach Dr. N.E.

Estelia Mesimer and her team at Keller Williams Realty in St. Petersburg embrace the culture of their city. Their office is located across from the Museum of Fine Arts, and they have a myriad of listings of high-end homes that are in the St. Petersburg area and a short distance from the cultural attractions.

For more information on Estelia Mesimer and her team, and to learn more about the high-end homes she represents, visit www.estelia.com.

You can reach Estelia at (727) 686-2859 and at estelia@estelia.com. Her office is located in downtown St. Petersburg at 111 2^nd Ave. NE., Suite 400.