The Sistine Chapel Is Coming to a Mall in Suburban New Jersey

Citizens of New Jersey rejoice, Michelangelo (yes, that one) is coming to a shopping center near you. Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, to be precise, with “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” opening on April 10 and running until July 5.

From God’s outstretched fingertip in to faces wracked with shock and desperation in , the exhibition presents all 34 of the Michelangelo’s ceiling and altar masterpieces recreated using what the organizer, See Global Entertainment, calls “an advanced printing technique.”

The result is a series of dramatically lit spaces in which replicas of the works first commissioned by Pope Julius II in 1508 are on offer close-up and often at eye-level. There’s little straining of the neck required to see, for example, God separating light from darkness, or Adam being jabbed by an angel as he’s cast out of Eden with a cowering Eve.

Other benefits include no heaving crowds, no surly guards ushering visitors through the space, and no time limits. This means visitors can spend nine hours chewing over , except for on Sundays when they’ll have to make do with six. The kicker, as advertised by the organizer? There’s no trip to Rome needed.

“We are thrilled to bring this immersive experience to New Jersey,” the producer of the exhibition, Martin Biallas, said in a statement. “Whether you’re an art-lover, history enthusiast, or someone encountering this masterpiece for the first time, this exhibition allows you to experience Michelangelo’s genius in an intimate and unforgettable way.”

Priced at $28 per ticket, “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel” is evidence of a trend that emerged out of 2020 lockdowns that brought high-definition, tech-enabled “immersive” exhibitions to audiences around the world. See Global Entertainment, which was founded in 1997 and is based in Los Angeles, has been one of the most active purveyors of this form of entertainment. Since 2022, it has unveiled immersive exhibitions on the art of Banksy and the blue-hued world of the Smurfs, which join its roster of shows focused on Frida Kahlo, the , and King Tutankhamun.

The Michelangelo exhibition made its debut in 2015 and has toured China, Germany, Australia, and Canada, among other countries. More than three million visitors have rated the experience 4.8 stars out of five, according to See Global Entertainment.

Rome’s Sistine Chapel, which receives around 25,000 tourists per day, is currently undergoing a major restoration. This includes Michelangelo’s frescoes with conservators removing layers of dried sweat residue from visitors. The work is set to be complete in early April.