Carnegie Trees and Presepio, 2017

Kick off your holidays with a visit to this popular seasonal display, brought to you by Carnegie Museum of Art Women’s Committee. This year’s theme is The Americas, featuring inspirations from Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. The theme takes its cue from two exhibitions, Hélio Oiticica, showcasing the legendary Brazilian artist, and Building Optimism: Public Space in South America.

See the Hall of Architecture filled with several towering Colorado spruce trees, each adorned with handcrafted ornaments from committee members and collaborating organizations. The trees flank the museum’s exquisite 18th-century Neapolitan presepio Nativity scene, rare in US collections, together making up a cherished Pittsburgh tradition. Handcrafted between 1700 and 1830, the presepio is filled with lifelike figures and colorful details that re-create the Nativity within a vibrant and detailed panorama of 18th-century Italian village life.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.