A selection of Michelangelo’s rare sketches is being debuted in the U.S. in an exhibition now open at the newly renovated and expanded Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary, 603 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg.
The great 16th century Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet destroyed many of his sketches, leaving fewer than 50 surviving drawings from the Sistine Chapel ceiling, said a press release. Nearly half of these sketches are on display in Muscarelle’s exhibit, “Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine,” which celebrates the 550th anniversary of the artist’s birth.
The exhibit unfolds across five galleries, said the release, with the first three enveloped in blue hues and soft lighting that evoke the atmosphere of the Sistine Chapel.
The exhibit has docent-led tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily and will feature several related programs. Those programs include a curator’s opening lecture at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18 by Adriano Marinazzo, the Muscarelle’...