On Oct 15, the museum welcomed back art historian, fine art appraiser, and BSU alum Richard Raymond Alasko for a talk on our Renaissance period bust Christ the Redeemer depicted as Zeus. His talk focused on the art and inspirations of 16^th century artist Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli. He spoke of Montorsoli’s close relationship with the great sculptor and painter Michelangelo, who helped him get commissions and consistently asked for Montorsoli’s aid on many of his own projects. Director of DOMA, Robert G. La France adds, “Montorsoli worked in Michelangelo’s workshop, and was even permitted to finish some of the master’s works….This is a wonderful work of art—and the closest you can come to seeing a Michelangelo in Muncie.”

Alasko’s talk was very friendly and intelligent. You could tell he loved learning and talking about the artist. In fact, when I spoke with him at the reception in the museum’s sculpture court after his talk, he said that he wanted to know everything about Montorsoli and is actually going back to Italy before the end of the year. He also said, when talking about the Redeemer, “I love this piece. It’s weird. I love it, and I love that it’s here.” Ball State is a school that has a sort of history with sculpture, what with the school’s commission of Beneficence in the Quad. Mr. Alasko was a great man to meet and listen to speak and it was great to hear him sing us praises about both the sculpture and the museum itself.

Christ the Redeemer depicted as Zeus

As you can tell, this sculpture is a very interesting and highly acclaimed by DOMA staff and visitors alike. Director of Education Tania Said Schuler remarks, “the Montorsoli bust ‘Christ the Redeemer Depicted as Zeus’ draws a lot of interest from visitors. It looks familiar and is recognizable, but stylistically it is a good deal different from other portrayals of Christ…” Even if you missed the lecture last week, you can still come see the bust in the West Gallery anytime!