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Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel immersive exhibition opens in San Antonio

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michelangelo's sistine chapel exhibition

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition, an immersive art experience, has launched at the Lambermont Estate in San Antonio, Texas.

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition is a unique and immersive exhibition that puts visitors inside the most iconic masterpieces of Italian artist Michelangelo.

The exhibit features 34 reproductions of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel paintings, including The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgement. The production company behind the project is SEE Attractions Inc.

Located in the Lambermont Estate, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel covers 9,000 square feet over three storeys. Visitors can tour the historic mansion and discover its secrets, all while viewing Michelangelo’s masterpieces.

“We’ve already done almost all of the major venues worldwide,” Martin Biallas, CEO of SEE Attractions Inc, told the San Antonio magazine.

Step inside Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel paintings

“We know there is a lot of tourism here and wanted to cater to the locals – the tickets went on sale four to five weeks ago and we’ve already sold over 20,000.”

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is currently running in San Antonio (Texas), Atlanta (Georgia), Charlotte (North Carolina), Chicago (Illinois), Charleston (South Carolina) and San Francisco (California).

“Our aim is to bring you the art Michelangelo created close up,” Biallas added. “The Sistine Chapel gets over 6 million visitors each year. When I visited, I didn’t enjoy the experience in itself.

“That’s how I got this idea. In the Sistine Chapel you aren’t allowed to take any photos at all. Here, you can take as much time and as many pictures as you want.

34 Michelangelo frescoes can be found in Texas

michelangelo's sistine chapel exhibition

“We’ve had people pose in front of The Creation of Adam reaching toward each other—that is something you could never do in the Vatican,” he said.

According to the exhibition’s website, organisers used “a special printing technique that emulates the look and feel of the original paintings”. Viewers can see “every detail, every brushstroke and every color of the artist’s 34 frescoes”.

There also are two immersive Van Gogh experiences with very similar names – Immersive Van Gogh and Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience. Last year, Immersive Van Gogh launched the world’s first drive-in art experience, Gogh By Car.

Images: SEE Attractions Inc

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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