Richard Haas Exhibition Open at Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College

LAKELAND, FL – Award-winning artist Richard Haas, who is best known for his architectural murals that trick the eye into seeing objects as three-dimensional, began creating actual 3-D art in the 1960s in the form of diorama boxes.

These small-scale explorations of artist studio environments are the subject of “Inside the Masters’ Studios: Richard Haas Dioramas,” which runs through July 27 at the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College. This is an original exhibition curated by the museum.

Haas takes inspiration from photos and other research materials to recreate in cardboard and paper the studios of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Johannes Vermeer, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Jackson Pollock.

Each work in the show presents visitors with an individualized viewing experience.

“It’s like peeking into studios of the most well-known artists in history while they create their work,” said Dr. Alex Rich, Polk Museum of Art’s curator and director of galleries and exhibitions.