the Pieta in Flushing Meadows

October 11 tribute; the Pieta in Flushing Meadows

Originally published on the Two Leaf Gallery Members’ Blog

October 11, 2022

Special Tribute

Monday October 9: Italian Heritage Day/ Indigenous People’s Day

In my life I’ve been very fortunate to

have stood in the presence of a miracle…

That was the day I visited the Vatican

Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair. which

was held in Flushing Meadows,

Queens, New York.

Upon entering the Pavilion, I stood on

the futuristic moving sidewalk

designed to carry the visitors past the work

of art that was there on display; the

most important work of art at the Fair,

and certainly one of the most valuable

artworks of all time…

… the sculpture, carved from a block of

Carrara marble (excavated from the

Carrara area of Italy), is known as the

Pieta. This work was created by

Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1498-99.

Michelangelo was a sculptor, painter and

Architect who was born in Florence, Italy in

1475.

The Pieta was transported from the Vatican to

Flushing for the occasion of the World’s Fair by

permission of Pope John XXIII.

The moving sidewalk allowed

us to get a close enough look at

the work to inspire awe and

wonderment at how the artist

could have possibly

created such a lifelike

masterpiece from a block

of marble, using only

a hammer and chisels.

When the Fair closed, the Pieta was returned to

St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where it remained on

display. This marble bench can be found in

Flushing Meadows, placed on the spot where

the Pieta had been displayed during its visit.