#vaticanmuseum

Modern crucifixion selfie

Enjoying the 1975 painting “L'uomo e la Croce” (The Man with a Cross) by Mexican artist Rufino del Carmen Arellanes Tamayo artist (1899-1991) on display at the Musei Vaticani in Rome, Italy

I was surprised and intrigued by the collection of modern art at the Vatican Museum, as many of these artists were atheists and critics of the Church, or were even once called “degenerates” by the clergy.

The Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano began when Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 1897-1978) declared in 1964 that he wanted connect with the younger generation by accepting modern art pieces that had themes that which featured aspect of faith. Pope Paul VI’s secretary Archbishop Pasquale Macchi (1932-2006) scourged the Vatican Pinacoteca for 19th and 20th century donated works, as well as accepted new acquisitions from donors.

In 1973 the Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano was exhibited at the Vatican Museum in 1973. And in 2011 a whole new wing was opened for the collection, with almost 8000 works rotated on display.

Surreal pope selfie

Being watched by 1961 painting “Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X II” by British artist Francis Bacon (1909-1992) on display at the Musei Vaticani in Rome, Italy

The painting is a surrealist outtake by Bacon on the 1650 “Portrait of Pope Innocent X (born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj; 1574-1655)” by Spanish artist Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660), with Bacon’s first and most famous attempt was created in 1953.

I was surprised and intrigued by the collection of modern art at the Vatican Museum, as many of these artists were atheists and critics of the Church, or were even once called “degenerates” by the clergy.

The Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano began when Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 1897-1978) declared in 1964 that he wanted connect with the younger generation by accepting modern art pieces that had themes that which featured aspect of faith. Pope Paul VI’s secretary Archbishop Pasquale Macchi (1932-2006) scourged the Vatican Pinacoteca for 19th and 20th century donated works, as well as accepted new acquisitions from donors.

In 1973 the Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano was exhibited at the Vatican Museum in 1973. And in 2011 a whole new wing was opened for the collection, with almost 8000 works rotated on display.

Dual surrealist selfie

I am excited to come face-to-face with the works of the Spanish surrealist Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí (1904-1989): 1977 “Angelic Landscape” and 1960 “The Trinity” at the Musei Vaticani in Rome, Italy.

This is actually my second time view works of Dalí, as the first time was in 2000 at a gallery in the Piccadilly Square (now closed) near the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California, USA.

I was surprised and intrigued by the collection of modern art at the Vatican Museum, as many of these artists were atheists and critics of the Church, or were even once called “degenerates” by the clergy.

The Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano began when Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 1897-1978) declared in 1964 that he wanted connect with the younger generation by accepting modern art pieces that had themes that which featured aspect of faith. Pope Paul VI’s secretary Archbishop Pasquale Macchi (1932-2006) scourged the Vatican Pinacoteca for 19th and 20th century donated works, as well as accepted new acquisitions from donors.

In 1973 the Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano was exhibited at the Vatican Museum in 1973. And in 2011 a whole new wing was opened for the collection, with almost 8000 works rotated on display.

Abstract tree selfie

Feeling giddy when looking at the colored plates for the 1949 stained glass windows of “L'Arbre de Vie” (The Tree of Life) by French artist Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (1869-1954), on display at the Musei Vaticani in Rome, Italy.

The “L'Arbre de Vie” (The Tree of Life) was created byMatisse for the 1947-1951 Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence (Chapel of the Rosary of Vence), in France. What makes this work significant to me is that Matisse is an atheist and the lines of Joss Ackland as Matisse in the 1996 film "Surviving Picasso" resonated to me on why he created a religious artwork despite being an atheist:

““I've no religion in the conventional sense, yet I believe. There's a zen saying... "We have two suns: The one outside in the sky, and the other inside here. As the one outside fades for us, so... the other raises up more and more. Since my last illness, I feel I carry a sun with a thousand rays inside me.””

Matisse’s work on the chapel bore from his close friendship with the Dominican nun, Sister Jacques Marie (Monique Bourgeois, 1920-2004), who first served as his nurse before entering the convent in Vence.

I was surprised and intrigued by the collection of modern art at the Vatican Museum, as many of these artists were atheists and critics of the Church, or were even once called “degenerates” by the clergy.

The Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano began when Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 1897-1978) declared in 1964 that he wanted connect with the younger generation by accepting modern art pieces that had themes that which featured aspect of faith. Pope Paul VI’s secretary Archbishop Pasquale Macchi (1932-2006) scourged the Vatican Pinacoteca for 19th and 20th century donated works, as well as accepted new acquisitions from donors.

In 1973 the Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano was exhibited at the Vatican Museum in 1973. And in 2011 a whole new wing was opened for the collection, with almost 8000 works rotated on display.

Stoned masterpiece selfie

Salivating over the 1944 “El martirio de San Esteban” (The Martyrdom of Saint Stephen) by Mexican artist José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949) on display at the Musei Vaticani in the eternal city of Rome, Italy.

The painting features the stoning of the first Christian martyr סטפנוס / Setēpānôs / Στέφανος  (Stephen; 5-34 AD), who was one of the first deacons of the Christian Church. His words had angered the Sanhedrin and the crowds were so incensed that they stoned him to death.

I was surprised and intrigued by the collection of modern art at the Vatican Museum, as many of these artists were atheists and critics of the Church, or were even once called “degenerates” by the clergy.

The Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano began when Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 1897-1978) declared in 1964 that he wanted connect with the younger generation by accepting modern art pieces that had themes that which featured aspect of faith. Pope Paul VI’s secretary Archbishop Pasquale Macchi (1932-2006) scourged the Vatican Pinacoteca for 19th and 20th century donated works, as well as accepted new acquisitions from donors.

In 1973 the Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano was exhibited at the Vatican Museum in 1973. And in 2011 a whole new wing was opened for the collection, with almost 8000 works rotated on display.

Late Surrealist/Symbolist selfie

I am at awe of 1943 “Le Crucifix: entre Dieu et le Diable” (The Crucifix: between Gad and the Devil) by Russian/French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) at the Musei Vaticani in Rome, Italy.

I was excited to see the surrealist/symbolist work of Chagall as I had been aware of his work when his 1924 “Au-dessus de la Ville” (Above the City) was shown to my 3rd Grade class in a video documentary at the Ateneo de Mania. Later on, I would walk into a Chagall retrospective during the 2015 Venice Biennale.

I was surprised and intrigued by the collection of modern art at the Vatican Museum, as many of these artists were atheists and critics of the Church, or were even once called “degenerates” by the clergy.

The Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano began when Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 1897-1978) declared in 1964 that he wanted connect with the younger generation by accepting modern art pieces that had themes that which featured aspect of faith. Pope Paul VI’s secretary Archbishop Pasquale Macchi (1932-2006) scourged the Vatican Pinacoteca for 19th and 20th century donated works, as well as accepted new acquisitions from donors.

In 1973 the Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano was exhibited at the Vatican Museum in 1973. And in 2011 a whole new wing was opened for the collection, with almost 8000 works rotated on display.

Flooded selfie

Surprised to see the 1938 painting “Der Heilige Christophorus” (Saint Christopher) by the German “degenerate artist” and staunch church critic Otto Dix (born Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix, 1891-1969), on exhibit at the Musei Vaticani, in Roma Italia.

The painting features the Canaanite martyr Saint Christóphoros / Χριστόφορος (Christopher, died 251 AD), whose famous story tells about how he had found his faith when he carried the Christ Child across a swollen river.

Otto Dix created works that compared his horrific experiences of World War 1 (1914-1919) with biblical imagery, which earned him the ire of conservative church officials and society; as well as the German Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei/ National Socialist German Workers' Party). However, it was misunderstood that Dix did criticize the human foibles in the Church, and not an attack on the faith of Christianity.

I was surprised and intrigued by the collection of modern art at the Vatican Museum, as many of these artists were atheists and critics of the Church, or were even once called “degenerates” by the clergy.

The Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano began when Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 1897-1978) declared in 1964 that he wanted connect with the younger generation by accepting modern art pieces that had themes that which featured aspect of faith. Pope Paul VI’s secretary Archbishop Pasquale Macchi (1932-2006) scourged the Vatican Pinacoteca for 19th and 20th century donated works, as well as accepted new acquisitions from donors.

In 1973 the Collezione Arte Religiosa Moderna del Vaticano was exhibited at the Vatican Museum in 1973. And in 2011 a whole new wing was opened for the collection, with almost 8000 works rotated on display.