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Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Exhibition in Vancouver

November 14, 2021

The Sistine Chapel Exhibition offers a new way to experience the world-famous Renaissance paintings of Michelangelo in Vancouver at Canada Place.

There have been a number of art-themed multimedia exhibitions in the Lower Mainland this past year. There was Imagine Van Gogh, Imagine Picasso and the Da Vinci Experience. This latest exhibition runs from mid-November, 2021, until February 20th, 2022.

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Vancouver’s Sistine Chapel Exhibition

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition showcases Michelangelo’s famous Sistine Chapel paintings from a fresh perspective.

The art has been reproduced and is on display for folks to admire. Presented in an up-close manner, the exhibition provides a wonderful way to appreciate the paintings in extraordinary detail. Guests can expect to spend plus or minus about an hour exploring the large floor-to-ceiling reproductions and images. We went and we loved the experience!

While the Sistine Chapel exhibition isn’t a brand new event, it is new to Vancouver. The company behind the event is SEE Attractions, and they’ve already brought the experience to numerous cities around the world.

The Vancouver edition takes place at the Vancouver Convention Centre (in the Canada Place building) on select dates beginning on November 19th in 2021. It was going to run until January 2nd in 2022, but then got extended until February 20th.

Hours and Location

The exhibition takes place from Wednesdays to Sundays starting on Friday, November 19th. It continues operating on all days of the week between December 1st and the 19th. The event then switches back to its Wednesday to Sunday schedule until January 2nd. The attraction is closed on Christmas Day (December 25th) and New Year’s Day (January 1st).

Hours on most days are from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, with the last entry at 7:00 pm.

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Exhibition takes place at the East Exhibit Hall A in the East Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre. In other words, it’s actually at Canada Place, not in the newer convention centre building.

Ticket Prices

Admission costs to the Sistine Chapel event vary depending on your age and the day you go. Tickets cost the following as of mid-November in 2021:

Weekdays

Adults (ages 13+) – $20.10
Students, Seniors (ages 65+) & Military – $16.10
Children (ages 4 to 12) – $14.20
Little Kids (ages 3 and under) – Free
Family Bundle (2 adults and 2 children) – $12.60/person

Weekends

Adults (ages 13+) – $24.20
Students, Seniors (ages 65+) & Military – $18.90
Children (ages 4 to 12) – $16.80
Little Kids (ages 3 and under) – Free
Family Bundle (2 adults and 2 children) – $15.70/person

VIP tickets cost an extra $5 or so per person. Folks with VIP tickets skip the lineups and receive a special audio guide and poster. You can also pay for an audio guide separately at the entrance.

The exhibition encourages guests to buy tickets in advance online. Tickets are also available at the door, but only when the place isn’t fully booked. As with other indoor events in the Lower Mainland, proof of full vaccination and government-issued photo ID are required to enter. Masks must also be worn at all times inside.

To book your tickets, see the Sistine Chapel Exhibition website.

Michelangelo's Adam in Vancouver — Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam

What to Expect

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is an impressive event. At it you’ll see dozens of the Italian master’s most famous paintings up close.

The exhibition comprises two rooms. In the first there is a large screen. On it a film plays. The film lasts for about 15 or 20 minutes and from it visitors learn all about Michelangelo and his work in the Sistine Chapel.

The film is fun, educational and light-hearted. We recommend you stay for the full show as it’s very informative. There is a real person narrator in the film. The rest of the film involves cartoon-like scenes illustrating the topics discussed and presented. You’ll learn about Michelangelo’s life, his work on the Sistine Chapel, the artist’s other masterpieces, and his relationship with the Pope.

The film keeps going on a continuing basis. When you enter the exhibition you watch the film from whenever you arrive until whenever you recognize that you’ve already seen everything. After that you move to the main room where you’ll see life-sized reproductions of Michelangelo’s art from the Sistine Chapel.

Inside the Main Hall

The main hall at the exhibition is full of illuminated works of Michelangelo’s art. The room itself is quite dark, but all the art is nicely lit up and looks magnificent

At one end of the hall, near where you enter, is a copy of The Creation of Adam. (See above for a photo.) At the far end of the hall is Judgement. (See below to see what it looks like). Judgement is the largest piece in the collection and it’s quite amazing.

Other pieces of art line the walls of the main hall. There are additional pieces in the centre of the room as well. The place is spacious, but also packed full of beautiful art (or at least replicas of the real things).

Beside each work of art is the name of the piece and a short description. By the giant Judgement piece at the far end of the room is a video which describes the masterpiece in detail.

Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel — Michelangelo’s Judgement Painting

Who is Michelangelo?

Michelangelo was an Italian artist, architect and poet who lived from 1475 to 1564. He is arguably one of the greatest artists of all time. His full name is Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, but he is known today simply as Michelangelo.

Born in Caprese, in the Italian region of Tuscany, the artist moved at a very young age to Florence with his family. There his mentors included Domenico Ghirlandaio, Lorenzo de’ Medici, Bertoldo di Giovanni and others.

Michelangelo later lived in Venice, Bologna and Rome. He specialized in sculpting. However, his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are perhaps his most well-known project, next maybe to his statue of David. He started work on the Sistine Chapel in 1508 and didn’t fully complete the project until 1512.

The Sistine Chapel is a chapel inside the Vatican in Rome. The Vatican is where the Pope lives and where the “head office” of the Catholic Church is based. The ceiling of the chapel is covered in some of the world’s most famous paintings, all of which are by this one amazing man (although he did have assistants).

Michelangelo’s artwork remains inside the chapel to this day and features multiple scenes that cover almost 500 square metres of ceiling. It’s an impressive sight!

Tips and Advice

Below are some suggestions to help you make the most out of your art exhibition experience.

TIP #1: Take your camera or plan to take photos on your phone. Both photos and video are permitted.

TIP #2: Watch the full film in the first room at the start. It’s both entertaining and informative. Kids will enjoy it too. After you’ve moved to the second room, you can’t go back later to watch more of the film.

TIP #3: Be sure to also watch and listen to the video by the Judgement painting. It too is very informative and it describes different areas of the canvas.

TIP #4: The last entry time at the exhibition is at 7:00 pm and the place closes at 8:00. An hour is long enough for most people, but serious art fans might want to stay longer. If you expect you’ll want to stay longer than average, don’t buy your tickets for the 7:00 pm timeslot. Go earlier!

TIP #5: Combine your trip to the exhibition with a visit to at least one other place of interest in the area. Also at Canada Place there are the multidimensional films at FlyOver Canada. In the same building there is also the Imagine Picasso exhibition which is scheduled to run until early January 2022. During the month of December in 2021, up until Christmas Eve, there is also the Vancouver Christmas Market in Jack Poole Plaza.

TIP #6: If you really like art and this kind of exhibition, then also check out the Da Vinci Experience. It too is exceptional, and it takes place at Tsawwassen Mills Mall not far from the BC Ferries Terminal (which connects the Lower Mainland with Vancouver Island).