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New Master: Why I'm Painting an Exact Replica of Sistine Chapel Ceiling in My Apartment

Alex Gardega is a man obsessed. But what will happen to his oeuvre in November when he moves out?


One day this past January I decided to paint the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling of my rented Upper East Side studio apartment. I do a lot of professional high-end murals. I just painted a 400 square foot waterfall for a client and recently finished three ceilings for different people. I’m always working for someone else so I started thinking that I’d like to do this for myself. Even though it’s not my apartment, I just wanted to experience painting for me.

I don’t know if it’s some kind of reincarnation thing, but ever since I was a little kid I’ve been absolutely in love with the Old Masters: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. When I went over to see the Sistine Chapel in Rome I just started crying—it was that overwhelming for me.

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