The popular Christ-themed art exhibition “Sacred Gifts” at Brigham Young University’s Museum of Art has taken new form in recent weeks.
On Feb. 22, the museum bid farewell to four featured Carl Bloch paintings. The departed Bloch oils — which included the familiar “Sermon on the Mount” and “Healing the Blind Man” — were returned to the King’s Oratory at Denmark’s Frederiksborg Castle.
Despite the loss of the paintings, there is still ample reason to experience “Sacred Gifts,” even for folks who have already visited the exhibition.
Four new Carl Bloch paintings from Frederiksborg Castle were recently installed, replacing the first four. The new paintings will be on display through the duration of the show, which is scheduled to end on May 10.
Once again, Latter-day Saint museum visitors will likely recognize the new paintings on display, which have been used frequently in Church magazines, manuals and other publications. The second phase of Carl Bloch works again capture pivotal moments from the Savior’s mortal ministry. The paintings include “Cleansing of the Temple,” “The Denial of Peter,” “Christ on the Cross,” and “The Burial.”
Inspired by the words found in Doctrine and Covenants 6:10 — “thy gift … is sacred and cometh from above” — “Sacred Gifts” features nearly two dozen paintings from the life of Christ created by Carl Bloch and two other 19th century European masters, Heinrich Hofmann and Frans Schwartz.
The exhibition invites viewers to consider the many gifts offered by the Savior — and then asks how viewers can share their divine gifts with others.
The exhibition is free but visitors must reserve a ticket. Tickets can be reserved by visiting the exhibition web site at sacredgifts.byu.edu.
The BYU Museum of Art is located at 500 Campus Drive in Provo, Utah.
