Vatican Gets Back in the Art Biz

12-inch sculpture was covered with tape

(NEWSER) - A US art historian says he’s found the model for Michelangelo's great statue the Pieta at the Vatican, the Daily Telegraph reports. An Italian art collector picked up the 12-inch terracotta model at an antiques shop; before restoration, it was covered in paint and dotted with Scotch tape. But long analysis has led Roy Doliner to believe it is indeed the work of the Renaissance artist. More»

Sistine painting contains brain diagram

(NEWSER) - Michelangelo used the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to conceal a message the church would have found blasphemous, according to a pair of neuroanatomists. God's oddly lumpy neck in The Separation of Light from Darkness, a detail that has long puzzled art historians, is actually a completely accurate depiction of the human brain painted by the artist, who was a highly skilled anatomist. More»

(NEWSER) - Jasper Joffe isn’t taking his breakup well. When his girlfriend of 5 years walked out on him, the painter, who’s sold work to such heavyweights as Charles Saatchi, decided to sell not just paintings, but all his worldly possessions, the Independent reports. Every single paint brush, keepsake, doodle, appliance, and stitch of clothing will be on display and on sale at a show entitled “The Sale of a Lifetime.” More»

Gaffe-prone and out-of-touch Benedict aggravates Holy See

(NEWSER) - As Benedict XVI continues his pilgrimage in Africa, sources inside the Vatican say that the pope's frequent gaffes and difficulties with modern communication are threatening to undermine him. One member of the Vatican told the Telegraph that Benedict is "a disaster" who is "out of touch with the real world," citing his recent explosive remark that condoms aggravate the AIDS crisis. More»

Catholics upset over Vienna museum's painting of apostle orgy

(NEWSER) - A tiny Vienna museum with ties to the Catholic Church has became the target of worldwide outrage after displaying a homoerotic mural depicting the Last Supper, ABC News reports. The painting, by one of Austria's most cherished artists, shows naked apostles drinking and having an orgy. It has now been removed, and the row has been characterized as a Catholic version of the Mohamed cartoon uproar. More»