Chapter 90

90

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July 9, 1512.

Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, received forgiveness for all his sins against the Pope with a single warm embrace from Pope Julius.

A few days later.

Alfonso actively expressed his desire to see the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which Michelangelo was working on.

Everything fell into place on a good afternoon.

Alfonso, along with several other nobles, visited the Sistine Chapel.

At that time, Michelangelo was making unbelievable progress on the frescoes, and his body was already at the western end of the Sistine ceiling.

Alfonso and his group, including Ludovico Ariosto, climbed ladders to the scaffolding where Michelangelo and his assistants were working.

Ludovico Ariosto.

He came from the Ariosto family, which had served the Este family, who ruled the Ferrara region, for generations. At this time, he was accompanying Alfonso.

The group, including Alfonso and Ludovico, climbed up to the scaffolding.

When they saw the frescoes.

Alfonso and Ludovico's faces were filled with nothing but amazement. Ludovico Ariosto almost lost his mind as he gazed at the frescoes.

Four years later.

Ludovico Ariosto, recalling the moment he visited the Sistine Chapel, described Michelangelo in his work "Orlando Furioso" as "Michele, the superhuman, the holy angel (Ariosto, [Orlando Furioso], canto 33, line 2)."

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This description in "Orlando Furioso," which made Ludovico Ariosto a renowned poet of the Renaissance, must have deeply moved him, given the impact of Michelangelo's frescoes.

No, it must have been the artist who created those works that amazed him.

* * * *

Ten minutes before the booth opening.

While Kang Seok was looking at his works and passing by the merchandise area, which could only be reached by going past his works, he was rolling a lapis lazuli, shaped like a globe, to pass the time.

The gallery session for the Bloom Art Museum was in its final preparations.

Sweat beaded on their foreheads as they moved busily, even though the weather was pleasantly warm and the air conditioning was running.

They moved as if they were working in the sweltering heat just before a heavy rain.

They were carrying frames.

It was a point where the installation should have been completed.

People nearby were looking at them, puzzled by what they were doing. The same puzzled looks were on the faces of the international gallery staff nearby.

This was because.

Bloom had changed the display position three times that morning alone.

“What are they doing?”

“Wasn’t Bloom originally known for being very quick with their displays?”

“(Where is Bloom from?)”

“(It’s written here. South Korea, South. But isn’t Bloom a gallery that has participated in Art Basel Miami Beach quite a few times?)”

They looked at the Bloom booth with the expression that they wouldn’t achieve much at this Art Basel if they continued to act like beginners.

Art fair.

This place, despite being packaged in various ways, was ultimately a market.

A market where the person who sells the most at a high price ends up with all the glory.

In such a market, the display (display) was one of the sales skills that made the items, the paintings, look harmonious and attractive.

What could they achieve if they couldn’t even do that? People who thought this way soon turned their eyes away from the Bloom Art Museum booth.

But there were those who continued to watch.

“(What’s going on with Bloom?)”

“(I don’t know. But I saw the back of the Bloom booth earlier, and they had some really beautiful merchandise prepared.)”

“(Really? I didn’t see anything special...?)”

“(Not there, the back. There was another piece of merchandise in the back, and it was really... Perfectly! I’m definitely buying it. I’ll go as soon as the booth opens, so keep that in mind.)”

Bloom had a close relationship with these people, or they had seen the merchandise displayed at the back.

“(The opening is the most important time, right? It’s when the crowd is the densest. If the crowd thins out, you can go, right? The merchandise won’t disappear that quickly.)”

“(Oh, Jamie. Don’t stop me. I think it will disappear quickly. This is a gallery owner’s intuition, a sixth sense. Anyway, fuck, don’t stop me. I’m definitely going to buy it.)”

“(...Okay. Do as you please.)”

Most of the people who were looking at the booth with predatory eyes were targeting Kang Seok’s merchandise from the start.

In any case.

Surrounded by people’s attention, the staff of the Bloom Art Museum carried the works with red faces, working hard.

They had one reason for doing this.

They wanted to find a display that would allow people to immerse themselves more deeply in the works. That’s why they changed the display position three times that morning alone.

Click.

Jin Yumi slowly wiped away the sweat as the screw and the acrylic transparent frame clicked into place on the wall.

As she slowly approached the booth entrance, clicking her heels, everything came into view.

Jin Yumi murmured, seemingly satisfied.

“It’s done...”

The booth, now visible, was designed to guide visitors to the inner booth, where the works were subtly hidden behind a wall, like a signpost.

Since the works were meant to be appreciated in the shadows of the darkness, they were placed in a space surrounded by walls, with the innermost part being the deepest.

‘Considering the money we poured into renting this large booth... it’s really...’

Jin Yumi smiled faintly, recalling the fiery phone calls she had with Art Basel Miami Beach officials in the past.

With the booth opening just around the corner, excitement was inevitable, but she couldn’t help but feel excited.

At that moment.

“Do you have any regrets?”

Jin Doo-wook, the director of the Bloom Art Museum, who had approached unnoticed, was looking at Jin Yumi. Seeing the warm expression in his eyes, Jin Yumi turned her head sharply.

“No.”

As she turned her head.

The magazine Jin Doo-wook was holding caught her eye.

The magazine that contained a 16-page interview with Professor Park Ji-yeop and journalist Lee Ji-hye, which was published this time.

I read a lot of this when I was preparing for my art school entrance exams... As her thoughts drifted, Jin Doo-wook’s voice pierced her ear.

“About changing the display like this. Originally, our goal was to sell the works of our affiliated artists to people who came through the works, right? But if we set up the display like this, saying ‘Welcome, this is the way to go,’...”

This is completely putting the cart before the horse, isn’t it? Jin Doo-wook scanned the display with an amused look.

Kang Seok’s works are mostly on loan.

It means they are not for sale.

Mr. Kang is only selling merchandise, and while the merchandise is a good work, it is limited to 100 pieces and seems to be sold for a good cause. It won’t be expensive. He offered to pay for the booth space, but it wouldn’t be wise to accept every little thing, so he wouldn’t have accepted it.

“What do you think the top part says?”

Above the Bloom Art Museum was the San Gang Cultural Foundation.

Our goal is to open the entrance to Art Basel in Switzerland, which is the barometer of the art market, but it seems like we’re not getting much out of it. Swallowing these words, Jin Doo-wook looked at Jin Yumi.

Jin Yumi, with a smile lingering between her lips, looked at Jin Doo-wook.

“How many people do you think will come to see Mr. Kang’s works?”

“...Hmm?”

“No, how many times do you think people will come back to see Mr. Kang’s works?”

“...Hmm.”

Jin Doo-wook closed his mouth, listening to Jin Yumi’s meaningful words. What Jin Yumi was saying was this: Do you think people who come to see Kang Seok’s works will only see them once?

And when he thought about it, it didn’t seem like a wrong statement.

‘How long did I appreciate Mr. Kang’s works the first time I saw them...? How many times did I go back to see them?’

The answer was already set.

‘Yes. When I finally felt I had appreciated them enough, I realized 20 minutes, 30 minutes had already passed... That’s Mr. Kang’s work.’

However, due to the nature of the booth, the space where people can view the works is limited, and they would have to give up their spot before fully appreciating the works.

‘People will naturally be unsatisfied and come back... Those waiting in line will have to queue... Yes, a queue. While waiting in line, the only thing they can look at is... the displayed works.’

Jin Doo-wook looked at Jin Yumi with an impressed expression.

“You didn’t just let them pass, did you?”

“I just placed it so that the way wouldn’t be boring. It’s not bad, right?”

Jin Yumi burst into laughter, thinking it was a good idea. Jin Doo-wook nodded, watching her tongue peek out and retract.

It wasn’t bad.

No, it was a really good idea.

A display line that didn’t seem greedy for Mr. Kang but allowed us to gain something substantial.

Jin Doo-wook looked at Jin Yumi with a strange sense of admiration.

When did she grow so much? It seemed like her skills rapidly improved when she took charge of the solo exhibition of artist Yang Seon-gu. Should I entrust more new curators to him...?

While lost in these thoughts, Jin Yumi’s gaze caught his attention, and Jin Doo-wook lifted his head.

Jin Yumi was looking at the magazine Jin Doo-wook was holding.

“Why.”

“No, that... Can I take a quick look if you’re done?”

“...Sure?”

Jin Doo-wook flipped through the magazine.

He started walking to the back of the booth to check on Kang Seok’s condition.

Jin Yumi’s head lowered as she read the text. She flipped through the pages to read Professor Park Ji-yeop’s interview from the beginning when a highlighter caught her eye.

Following the highlighted text, she instinctively read the words.

Oh.

It’s about Michelangelo.

– ‘If, if there is such a thing. If you want to rebuild the tomb of Michelangelo Buonarroti... How would you do it?’

Jin Yumi’s eyes sparkled.

Now that I think about it, Mr. Kang seemed very interested in Michelangelo. With this thought, Jin Yumi’s eyes were drawn to the open page.

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October 31, 1512.

After a total production period of 4 years and 6 months (including the 1 year and 6 months he spent fleeing from the Pope), Michelangelo completed the ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.

Michelangelo wrote a letter to his father after completing the ceiling frescoes.

And the next day.

People flocked to the Sistine Chapel upon hearing that the frescoes were completed, rushing to see his work.

Vasari described this moment as follows:

“When the ceiling was unveiled, people from all