Inner Sanctum: The Pope and His Bankers Michele Sindona and Roberto Calvi, ca. 1959-82 (5th Version), Mark Lombardi © 1998, Donald Lombardi and Pierogi Gallery

If you haven't visited the Museum recently, there have been some exciting changes to what is on view in our Lincoln Gallery! Now hanging in the contemporary art gallery on the third floor, is a recent acquisition by artist Mark Lombardi entitled, Inner Sanctum: The Pope and His Bankers Michele Sindona and Roberto Calvi, ca. 1959-82 (5th version). This large-scale drawing traces a financial scandal involving the Vatican Bank through a system of hierarchical lines, circles and notes. Working directly from the public record, Lombardi's near-obsessive rendering is as much investigative reporting as it is conceptual art. According to Lombardi, "each [drawing] consists of a network of lines and notations which are meant to convey a story, typically about a recent event of interest to me, like the collapse of a large international bank, trading company, or investment house. One of my goals is to explore the interaction of political, social and economic forces in contemporary affairs." Standing in front of this piece is mesmerizing. From a distance, the graphic clusters resemble mini exploding fireworks, but closer proximity reveals a complex narrative of deceit.   

The Museum will be screening a documentary about Lombardi on Thursday - see below for more info! 

Left: US Highway 1, © 1962, D'Arcangelo Family Partnership Right: By Any Means Necessary, © 2008, Tim Rollin and K.O.S.

Also on view for the first time at the museum are Allan D'Arcangelo's US Highway 1 (1962), Tim Rollin's By Any Means Necessary (after Malcolm X), (2008), Humanscape 62: Brownies of the Southwest (1970) by Melesio Casas, and Nocturnal (Horizon Line) (2010) by Teresita Fernández. Come check them all out!

Smithsonian American Art Museum 

Washington, D.C. 20004

Renwick Gallery

Pennsylvania Ave at 17th Street NW

Washington, D.C. 20006