Vatican Splendors
Museum of Art I Fort Lauderdale
Opening this weekend and running through April 24, one of the largest collections of art, documents and historically significant objects from the Vatican ever to tour North America will be on view at the Museum of Art I Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University. Presented by Holy Cross Hospital in association with PNC Bank and AutoNation, the exhibition Vatican Splendors: A Journey through Faith and Art presents nearly 200 objects, many of which have never been on public view.
The renowned exhibition includes spectacular paintings by artists such as Giotto and Il Guercino, sculpture by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and many unique objects illustrating the Catholic Church’s impact on history and culture. These include mosaics, sculpture, jewels, intricately embroidered silk vestments, uniforms of the Papal Swiss Guard, as well as an elaborately decorated gold and silver reliquaries containing bone fragments of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
Irvin Lippman, the Museum’s executive director, said, “This exhibition provides residents and visitors to South Florida a singular opportunity to view an enormously important artistic and historic collection that literally opens a window onto the development of the Catholic Church, its contributions to the political and cultural life of the western world, and depictions of faith and art.”
Organized and circulated in conjunction with the Congregazione per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli of the Vatican City State, Vatican Splendors is produced by Evergreen Exhibitions in association with the Museum of Art I Fort Lauderdale. The exhibition is designed to take visitors on a journey into the heart of Vatican City, and provide a window to the Vatican’s role in the world with objects marking events throughout 2,000 years of history and tradition. Collectively, they illustrate the evolution of the Church and its papacy beginning with Saint Peter.
Tickets to Vatican Splendors: A Journey through Faith and Art, which include general admission to the Museum, are priced at $20 for adults, $17 for seniors, and $13 for children. Tickets are available at the Museum Box Office, online at ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 1-877-2VATICAN. Museum members are able to purchase “anytime” tickets at the special rate of $15 for adults and $11 for children age 6 through 12. Members at the Reciprocal ($150) level and above receive two free anytime admissions to the exhibition. To purchase tickets, please call 877-2Vatican. For Museum membership information, please call Membership Development Associate Shelley Edwards at (954) 262-0221.
Group tickets (for groups of 15 or more) are available for $17 per adult group ticket and $8 for a student who is part of a school group. To arrange a group tour, please contact Group Sales Office at moagroupsales@moafl.org or by phone at 954-262-0202.
Hours are daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours on Thursday evenings until 8 p.m. Special early pre-opening hours are available for group and school tours by prior arrangement. Descriptive labels throughout the exhibition are bilingual in both English and Spanish, as is an audio tour, which is available for an additional fee.
