Wednesday, March 6, the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the Martha Wren Briggs Center for the Visual Arts will unveil its new exhibit “Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine.” Designed by curator Adriano Marinazzo, the exhibit displays Michelangelo’s early sketches of the famous Sistine Chapel in Vatican City and will be available to visit through May 28.
The Muscarelle has just reopened in early February following an extensive $43 million renovation. It tripled the size of the museum and increased the number of galleries from five to 14. In addition to the Michelangelo exhibit, the museum boasts a collection of original silkscreen prints by Jacob Lawrence and pieces on loan from alumni of the College.
The exhibit hopes to bring the unique experience of visiting the Sistine Chapel to Williamsburg. Alongside the drawings, the Muscarelle will feature life-size reproductions of the chapel’s frescos and a portrait of Michelangelo by Italian artist Giuliano Bugiardini, which will be on display for the first time in the United States.
Marianazzo coordinated with the Italian government and multiple museums to gain permission to loan these sketches. Because the drawings are over 500 years old, the curators can only display the pieces for a few weeks every five years, highlighting the rare opportunity this exhibit presents. While Michelangelo destroyed most of his original drawings, 50 remain today – 25 of which will be shown at the Muscarelle until this May.
