Now at Hillyer Art Library: “The Sistine Chapel”

Hillyer Art Library has acquired The Sistine Chapel, a limited edition, three-volume set of larger-than-life books that exquisitely captures the artwork depicted within the historic chapel.

This extraordinary set is the result of a five-year collaboration between Callaway, the Vatican Museums, and the Italian art publisher Scripta Maneant of Bologna, Italy. To create the series, a  team of photographers used a 33-foot-tall scaffold and rig to capture every inch of the chapel in gigapixel digital photography, stitching together 270,000 individual frames over the course of 67 consecutive nights, while the Sistine Chapel was closed to the public in 2020. The result is the first opportunity in history for viewers to appreciate the frescoes as Michelangelo and the other artists painted them, with images so clear, sharp, and immersive that the viewers feel as if they are side by side with the artist.

Art historian and art dealer Robert Simon describes the set as “a tonic for the soul,” saying, “Whether seen as a triumph of photography, a monument of scholarship, or a luxurious asset, this is a work to covet, and for the fortunate, to own.”

This acquisition has been possible thanks to Laura Perry Barton ’82. Only 600 sets have been made available in the English language, and the work will never be reprinted, but the Smith community has the chance to see it live and up close! Come view The Sistine Chapel like never before in Hillyer’s new rare book reading room. Email hillinfo@smith.edu  for an appointment.

Contact

Anna Helgeson, Visual Arts and Humanities Librarian: ahelgeson@smith.edu