The following comes from a February 26 Ventura County Star article by Michele Willer-Allred:
Centuries-old, one-of-a-kind artifacts from the Vatican in Rome were unveiled Friday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley, where officials are getting ready for a new temporary exhibit that will open March 6 and run through August 28.
“Vatican Splendors: A Journey Through Faith and Art,” comprises one of the largest Vatican collections ever to tour the United States. It includes a collection of historical and religious objects, some of which date to the first century, as well as works of art by Michelangelo and others.
Some of the items are never on view to the general public, not even in Rome, according to museum officials.
“It’s one of the most unique and special exhibits we’ve ever had at the library,” said John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. “None has been as extraordinary as this one.”
The Reagan Library is the only West Coast destination and only one of two destinations — the other is Philadelphia — that will show the exhibit this year. After it leaves the Reagan Library at the end of August, it will return to the Vatican; it can’t be absent for more than one year.
Items in the collection include mosaics, frescoes, paintings and sculptures by Renaissance masters, precious objects from the Papal Mass, historical maps and documents and other items. The exhibit is organized in conjunction with Congregazione per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli of the Vatican city state.
this is timely for the younger generation that might believe that virtual art and other internet based visual creativity is somehow the most advanced.. there is something less self-referential about art that was made for the centuries and for the public good. even corrupt cardinals and dukes who lavished money on the arts seemed to have a commmunal sense that wanted to dress the public square with beauty for all to see. the virtual art splendor, as gorgeous as it can be, will most likely not make all the data transfer hurdles and uploads to the ever-evolving tech forms. the ancient is the future.
My family and I look forward to visiting this exhibit at the Reagan Library. Funny it is not sponsored and displayed at a V2 Museum or Institution? Then again do liberals seeking even more change like bringing up Roman Catholic history before V2 as it thwarts their progressive movement?