Some very heavy luggage was headed out of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport on June 21.

Moving the series of large pastel and oil paintings was a full workout, said Colin Thomsen, director of Palm Avenue Fine Art, but he found the effort well worth it.

The works were the majority of the artwork owned by the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, which the gallery plans to showcase in a show during its next season. 

"I'm surprised that they're letting go a piece of history,” said Thomsen. “Every single one of these pictures is a reference to something to do with Sarasota, the origins of Sarasota, the growth. You couldn't really put words to it, but you could tell that these are special pieces of work, and we are excited to show them."