To celebrate the relocation of The National Museum of Catholic Art and Library, the Italian embassy plans to host a “Roman Gala.”
By John Arundel and Tyler Sullivan
Next year, founders and boosters of The National Museum of Catholic Art and Library (NMCAL), an organization dedicated to the promotion and awareness of Judeo Christian and Roman Catholic art, as well as the art of all other faiths, hope to move into a new home in Washington, DC.
Relocating from New York, NMCAL plans to enter DC in style, throwing a black tie dinner gala to announce the planning of the new museum, followed by a concert featuring famed tenor Michael Amante.
The event, “A Roman Gala,” will be held at the Italian Embassy on Wednesday, October 19. Featuring the revelation of a life size Michelangelo bronze sculpture of “Moses,” the event celebrates the anticipated coming of NMCAL to the area, as well as the 500th anniversary of a Michelangelo’s world-renown fresco, “The Creation of Adam by God,” on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
“We will celebrate the great artist Michelangelo for his artistic contribution to the Catholic Church,” says Christina Cox, the museum’s founder and president.
The bronze “Moses” depicts the biblical figure with horns on his head, holding the Ten Commandments and seated after descending from Mount Sinai. The statue was commissioned to Michelangelo by Pope Julius II as the center piece for his tomb in St Pietro in Vincoli.
This statue, along with many works to be featured in the museum, holds deep prominence in the Catholic faith, as well as in many other religious traditions.
“Our major collection of religious artworks, paintings, sculptures, books and manuscripts has been on loan for traveling exhibitions for the last 3 years to The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and The Historical Society of Washington,” Cox says. NMCAL is happy to be bringing this collection to the nation’s capital for a more permanent stay.
Specially priced tickets for the evening are available, from $250 to $750, by contacting Christina Cox or Museum Curator Mariavelia Savino at the National Museum of Catholic Art and Library at 202-450-5707 or 917-750-0014.
