Typically, if you make a Venn diagram of the words New York City and Michelangelo, the intersection is a cartoon crime-fighting turtle. But not this summer. An exhibition featuring the legendary artist is bringing the Italian Renaissance to the Oculus hub of the Westfield World Trade Center Transit Station.
Opening on Friday, June 23, the exhibit “Up Close: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel” will feature 34 replicas of the painter’s massive frescoes from Vatican City in the center of the transit hub. Commuters will be free to view from the perimeter of the space, but entry past the velvet rope for an up-close view of more of the nearly-life-size copies will cost $20 ($15 for students). There will also be an audio guide available.
Towering over the show will be a massive replica of “The Last Judgment,” the fresco that covers the entire altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. Those fond of art trivia will recognize this painting as the one in which a frustrated Michelangelo worked out some of his demons by painting his antagonists suffering the torments of hell. In particular, look for a demon near the bottom with ass ears and a large snake biting his groin. Painted as the devil Minos, this is an image of Biagio da Cesena, the papal master of ceremonies while Michelangelo worked on the chapel. He made an enemy of the artist by calling his wall of nudes inappropriate for a church.
Paintings also featured include the Creation of Eve, the Sacrifice of Noah, David and Goliath, and Prophet Jeremiah. Each replica is in the vivid colors that the original works certainly had—viewers will see what the artist himself did.
“There are few works of art as beloved as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes. We are thrilled to…give viewers the chance to experience this artwork in an up-close and intimate way,” said Scott Sanders, Westfield’s creative head of global entertainment, adding that Westfield is excited to give people across the U.S. “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view these works for themselves.”
The exhibition will remain in the Oculus until late July before relocating to Paramus, New Jersey in September. After that, it will continue to tour the U.S. with stops in Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago, and Annapolis.
Photo: Detail of the Universal Judgment inside the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. Credit: Creative Lab / Shutterstock.com