Our Lady of the World's Fair: Bringing Michelangelo's "Pietà" to Queens in 1964

by Ruth D. Nelson

Overview

Our Lady of the World's Fair reveals the remarkable story of how two of New York's most influential leaders persuaded the Vatican to allow one of the world's greatest works of art to leave Europe for the first and only time. Driven by different motives, Robert Moses and Francis Cardinal Spellman had the same vision: to display Michelangelo's masterpiece, the Pietà, in the Vatican's pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair in New York City.

As Ruth D. Nelson gracefully showcases, Moses believed this blockbuster would guarantee the fair's financial success. At the same time, Spellman, Cardinal of New York and the spiritual leader of Cold War America's Catholic community, hoped that at a time of domestic strife and global conflict, the Pietà's presence would have a positive spiritual impact on the nation. Although the fair did not turn out to be the financial bonanza that Moses expected, the Pietà drew record crowds of the faithful, art lovers, and the curious.

Nelson's fascinating uncovering of the intensive planning that went into designing the pavilion, transporting the art piece across the Atlantic, and coordinating Pope Paul VI's visit to New York in 1965—the first papal visit to the Western Hemisphere—demonstrates the sheer scale and opportunity of the two men's endeavors. Our Lady of the World's Fair depicts the skepticism and fierce criticism that faced the two New York power brokers. Rather than letting the negative weigh them down, they united and called on every resource at their disposal to make this unlikely cultural coup possible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501776908
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	09/15/2024
Pages:	264
Sales rank:	598,422
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Ruth D. Nelson is an instructor in art history at the College of DuPage, and the author of Searching for Marquette. Nelson was selected as a State of Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholar, and she is a recipient of the Rakow Grant for Glass Research from the Corning Museum of Glass.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. The Vision: Robert Moses and the Valley of Ashes
2. Francis Cardinal Spellman: Faithful Son of America and Rome
3. Moses and Spellman: The Big Favor
4. The Coup: Moses Gets His Blockbuster
5. Spellman's Dream Team: The Men Who Made It Happen
6. Moving Marble: Sacred Cargo
7. On Stage: Mielziner's Magnum Opus
8. Moses Delivers: The Fair Opens
9. The Vatican Pavilion: Heaven on This Side of the Earth
10. The Agony and the Ecstasy: Michelangelo Meets Hollywood
11. City's EmCity's Embrace: The Pope's Visit
12. Ciao, New York: The Fair Closes
Epilogue: End of an Era

What People are Saying About This

James T. Fisher

Ruth D. Nelson brings to life the fascinating story of how the presence of Michelangelo's Pietà graced the New York World's Fair of 1964–1965 in impressive narrative detail. Our Lady of the World's Fair is a gripping art-world procedural that treats the diplomacy, marketing, packaging, shipping, and staging of Michelangelo's masterpiece in Queens like an adventure.

Bill Cotter

Millions viewed Michelangelo's 'Pietà' at the World's Fair, but few realized the enormous efforts it took the get the statue from Rome to New York and back home again. This well-researched book shows how the many political and technical challenges were overcome. Highly recommended to all who loved seeing the Pieta in New York.

Editorial Reviews

Nelson's got a winkingly wry sense of humor, but she's first and foremost a scholar. The book is well-researched, grounded in historical context, and neatly subdivided into chapters and sections. But a subtle warmth lights this book from within: The author visited the fair as a child. "Though I do not remember much," she writes, "what remains in my heart is a sense of wonder and happiness." It introduced her to the "Pietà," possibly sparking her interest in art history; she's come full circle with this book.

Hyperallergic

A captivating and evocative book. Ruth Nelson deftly brings to life some of the wonder and joy that millions of visitors experienced at the Fair.

The Catholic Thing

In Our Lady of the World's Fair, Ruth Nelson tells the fascinating story of how the 465-year old sculpture "Madonna della Pietà," better known simply as La Pietà, became its most popular attraction; and how the effort involved playing fields from religion and the arts to hardball city politics and international diplomacy.

Queens Chronicle