Barry X Ball’s Sculptures Perfectly at Home in a Grand Venice Basilica
When Carmelo Grasso, director and curator at the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, saw New York–based artist Barry X Ball’s sculpture Pope Saint John Paul II (2012–24), he knew he wanted to mount a show at the sublime church where he works. The resulting exhibition, “The Shape of Time,” organized by curator Bob Nickas, includes 23 pieces, many shown publicly for the first time, and is centered on this incredibly elaborate work, depicting the pontiff who became a global celebrity in the 1970s and ’80s. It stands in the choir, where its brilliant metals are offset by the dark, carved wood of the benches. Related Articles Though it measures just over two feet high, Pope Saint John Paul II commands your attention with richly filigreed silver and 18 karat gold, crafted into a riveting vision of the pontiff that echoes reliquaries; hidden inside it are numerous narrative flourishes. Cast in collaboration with Italian jewelry house Damiani and twelve years in the making, it depicts a Polish pope (the rare non-Italian pontiff) whose level …
