South Seas buys 22-acre artist retreat on Captiva

The owners behind the South Seas resort on Captiva have bought 22 acres from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, a New York based arts nonprofit.

The property sits near the entry to the resort and Captiva Village. It includes 10 buildings and waterfront footage along both the Gulf and Pine Island Sound, according to a statement.

A South Seas spokesperson says the owners are not releasing the sale price and the foundation did not respond to questions. Lee County records have not been updated.

The property, according to the foundation’s website, once served as the home and studio of 20th century artist Robert Rauschenberg.

The painter, who had first gone to Treasure Island in 1960 after deciding to leave New York City, discovered Captiva while visiting islands along the east coast while searching for a new home.

The foundation’s website says he worked out of a beach house studio for three years before buying an adjacent home on Laika Lane in 1973. That home, built in 1955, was remodeled and became his studio and administrative office.

Among the work completed in that studio are the Hoarfrost series and the Glut series.

Writing to a friend in 1970, Rauschenberg called Captiva “the foundation of my life and my work; it is the source and reserve of my energies.”

In all, Rauschenberg worked and lived on Captiva for about 40 years. He died in 2008.

Before the sale to South Seas, the property had served as a home for a residency program for artists. According to the foundation’s website, it included an 8,000-square-foot studio Rauschenberg built in 1992 and a collection of historic homes and studio spaces.

The property, the site says, “is infused with beauty and tranquility and marked by its unique history.”

South Seas, in a statement announcing its purchase, says development plans have not yet been finalized and that it “is exploring options that align with the reimagined resort.” As part of that process, it is “looking at ways to honor the legacy of Robert Rauschenberg and his visionary artistry as plans develop for the property.”

The 330-acre South Seas resort property is owned by a joint ownership group that includes Timbers Co, Wheelock Street Capital and The Ronto Group. The partnership bought the 330-acre South Seas Island Resort (as it was then known) in 2021 for $125 million.

Since the purchase, it has invested slightly more than $100 million on cleanup and repairs after the 2022 and 2024 hurricane seasons, resiliency measures and new amenities including restaurants, a golf course and water park.

There are also plans for a hotel portion of the project — 435 hotel rooms across two properties — and a residential component, which is 193 multifamily units.

But there are delays because of pending litigation brought by local groups opposed to the plans.