Michelangelo in Founders

A rare art collection from the British Museum is currently on display in Founders Hall

Catherine Silvey / Feature Editor / The USD Vista

This fall, University of San Diego students passing through Founders Hall will encounter an art exhibition entitled “Christ: Life, Death, and Resurrection.” What many of these passing students might not know is that within the walls of the exhibit lies work by world-renowned artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, creator of masterpieces such as “David,” “Pieta,” and the breathtaking artwork on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

On the back wall of the first room of the exhibition lies “The Three Crosses,” a rare drawing by Michelangelo from the 16th century, depicting the crucifixion of Jesus and the two thieves he was executed with. 

As indicated in the title of the exhibit, the life, death, and rebirth of Jesus Christ is the focus of the exhibition, a theme that Katherine Noland, operations coordinator of the University Galleries, indicated was intentional and catered to USD’s Catholic identity.

Noland explained the background of the exhibition and how USD became the host to rare pieces of art by some of the most famous artists of all time.

“Just over five years ago, we entered into a contract with the British Museum where we would have three projects that would lead to exhibitions over five years,” Noland said. “This is our third and last project with them.”

Noland emphasized just how unique this opportunity is, especially given that the current exhibition focuses on paper artwork, which can only be displayed for brief periods of time.

“Works on paper are really sensitive, so even at the British Museum they’re not on permanent display,” Noland said. “They come out about once every 10 to 20 years for exhibition, get shown, and then go back into boxes that are kept archivally. It’s not like they can be out for long periods of time.”

While the Michelangelo artwork featured in the exhibit is a drawing, the focus of the exhibition is print artwork. A print is made by carving an image into a metal mold into which ink is poured. The mold is then pressed against a piece of paper, which absorbs the ink in the mold’s image, much like the transfer of a stamp to paper. The mold is then used to make multiple prints of the same art.

Noland explained that, unlike an image from a modern printer, each of these prints is considered original artwork of the creator of the initial image.

“It’s an artwork in its own right,” Noland said. “They’ve always been less prized than paintings or drawings, things that are only one copy. Because of that, print history hasn’t been as focused on by historians and scholars.”

Noland identified the lack of research on print artwork as a motivation for University Galleries to focus their work on this type of art, acting as leaders in this field of research.

“When we started this collection, we felt like print artwork was the best place for us to focus because we could really generate new knowledge,” Noland said. “There’s still a lot of things to discover. We can have students come in and we can actually teach the history of Western art through our collection. That’s our goal.”

Accessibility was another motivation Noland referenced as a factor in University Galleries’ decision to focus on print works. 

“In a more practical way, not quite as romantic, it’s possible to create a really good print collection financially,” Noland said. “At this point, paintings by the Old Masters or contemporary art stars are so far out of reach. Even for big museums, unless your collection started a hundred years ago, you won’t be able to create something. Prints can still be really expensive, but it’s actually feasible for us to do that.”

In order to control print production and preserve the value of their prints, artists often damaged or destroyed their metal molds to ensure they were unusable, often melting molds down for other purposes. For this reason, an intact mold of a print is extremely rare.

However, both the copper mold and print of Cristofano Robetta’s “The Adoration of the Magi” are featured in the current exhibition. Mandy Chen, a junior real estate major and gallery guide, cited this piece as her favorite work in the exhibition.

“‘The Adoration of the Magi’ is my favorite work because I studied printmaking in my classes for four semesters,” Chen said. “A lot of people don’t see the process of the before and after. It’s amazing to be able to see that.”

Despite being a real estate major, Chen takes plenty of visual arts courses on campus, and works at University Galleries to further pursue her passion for art. 

Chen expressed the importance for students of all majors to have access to artwork on campus, emphasizing the ways in which art connects people from all cultures and backgrounds.

“Art is this thing that brings beauty in our lives,” Chen said. “If you think deeper about the art in front of you, you dig up deep philosophical meaning and emotion in the art. Art is a universal language. It attracts people from all over the world, and no matter where you’re from, you understand.”

“Christ: Life, Death, and Resurrection” is currently displayed in the Hoehn Family Galleries in Founders Hall, and is open daily from now until Dec. 13 for interested students to attend.