Vatican Mosaic Exhibit Coming To New Orleans

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	Samples of work on display at the Vatican Mosaic Exhibit

The first comprehensive exhibit of works of art from the Vatican Mosaic Studio will find a home in the historic old Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter of New Orleans on January 28, 2007.

Thirty-seven priceless mosaics, each one a synthesis of culture and manual skills, will form the exhibit. Each represents the perfection of an art form practiced by incredibly skilled masters in the Vatican Basilica as far back as the end of the 15th century, and passed down and perfected to the present day. The exhibit will be titled An Evolution of The Human Spirit as Seen Through Mosaic Art and will include reproductions of the art of Monet, Van Gogh, Rouault, Chagall and Rembrandt.

Each of the mosaics will be carefully shown within the walls of a building that was once the convent of the Ursuline nuns. Its own history dates back to the earliest years of the City of New Orleans, to1752. The building was constructed so firmly to have withstood aging and turbulence of hurricanes for nearly three centuries. It is, perhaps, the oldest existing structure of its kind in the entire Louisiana Purchase territory.

The art of mosaic is represented in works both religious and secular down through the ages. Greek, Roman and Byzantine craftsmen have created stunning presentations through the use of glass, stone and even shells. But nowhere in the world has the execution of mosaic taken on such a dramatic influence than by the Vatican mosaicists.

It is in Rome where the finest collection in the world of tesserae, the tiniest of stones with which their work takes form, are found.

The Catholic Cultural Heritage Center of the Archdiocese of New Orleans is greatly honored to host this uniquely memorable exhibit. We pray earnestly that it will serve to inspire everyone who visits our historic convent.to gaze with admiration upon each of the works and experience their spiritual greatness.

THE HISTORY

Toward the end of the 16th century, the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was drawing to an end. Rising above the sepulcher of the Apostle Peter, the composition of decorative works designed by Michelangelo and Bramonte had begun on the magnificient wall structures of the central cruciform dome. During those years, Palaeo-Christian walls and floors were usually covered with mosaic works. The ancient basilica's facade and wooden frameworks were usually gilded with mosaics, running the length of the portico and narrating to pilgrims the stories of the apostles Peter and Paul.

The decorations of the new basilica began with the vault of the Gregorian chapel in 1578 and were executed by the Venetian mosaicist Marcello Provenzale. Provenzale was summoned from Venice, where the art had been handed down for centuries within the basilica of San Marco. Shortly after, a school was formed under the title of Fabbrica di San Pietro. Here, under the guidance of the Venetian masters, an increasing number of Roman artisans learned the art of mosaic and then applied these skills to the incredible works of St. Peter's.

Initially, mosaics were used on the vaults of vestibules and chapels, while altarpieces were painted on canvas. But these proved to be easily perishable due to the basilica's unstable environmental conditions; thus rose the plan to complete altar decorations with mosaics and transfer existing paintings into mosaics.

It was in the Fabbrica di San Pietro's laboratory where research was successfully conducted to improve enamel glass, creating a much more vast array of chromatic shades. The Vatican mosaicists would now have in excess of 15,000 color samples at their disposal. The lab's invention of opaque glass proved critical for the completion of transforming from canvas to mosaic all the works of the Vatican basilica. The mastery of their work enabled the creation of such marvelous mosaic transpositions from extremely complex works of art, as seen in Rafaello's Transfigurazione, considered as the most beautiful painting in the world..

Through the l8th and l9th centuries, the fame of the Vatican Mosaic Studio continued to grow. Various popes have conveyed on visiting sovereigns gifts of mosaics with themes varying according to the styles of the time, from religious subjects, portraits, views of monuments and Roman countryside to scenes of animals and still-life.

With the arrival of the 37 works of mosaic art will also come a master teacher of the art from the Studio's faculty; he will conduct workshops for 60 New Orleans-area school children. Each of the children, ranging in age from l0 to 18, will be chosen from among private, parochial and public schools with recommendations coming from the schools creative departments. In addition, 15 adults from the community will be chosen to participate in nightly workshops lasting four days over two-week periods.

Proceeds from the exhibition will support the restoration and preservation of the Old Ursuline Convent. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (65+), $7 for groups, $6 for students, and free for children under 6. To purchase tickets, please call (504) 569-1401; (800) 535-7786, advance reservations required for groups, or visit www.vaticanmosaics.com.

The exhibit will conclude June 1, 2007.