First opened to the public on January 22, 2002, the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art was established through the generosity of Dr. Allen Leepa (artist, educator, and author), and his wife, Isabelle. Additional support was provided by the St. Petersburg College Foundation, Inc., through St. Petersburg College and the State of Florida.
The initial gift to the museum included works by Abraham Rattner, Allen Leepa’s stepfather and a renowned figurative expressionist; Esther Gentle, Rattner’s second wife and a print-maker, sculptor, and painter; and Allen Leepa, an abstract expressionist artist. Also included was an extensive collection of works by notable 20th century artists such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, and Henry Moore.