Palace of Living Art- The Captive

Michelangelo's statue, The Captive (A.K.A The Dying Captive, The Prisoner), is seen here in the Palace of Living Art. Located at the Movieland Wax Museum, the Palace had wax representations of famous paintings and sculptures. This figure represents the human model for the sculpture.

A closer view of the figure shows its detail. Notice the shackle on the left arm.

When Movieland Wax Museum closed its doors in 2005, they sold many items that once belonged to the Palace of Living Art. Here is the marble statue that was also at the palace. There was often both a wax figure, and a reproduction of the original piece of art in the Palace.

This image was used in promotional material for the museum. I'm not sure if it was a photograph of the original or of their reproduction.

The marble reproduction of the captive statue sold at the Movieland auction for $850. The wax figure isn't part of the Palace of Living Art in San Francisco. However,  that's not to say the figure isn't on display somewhere at the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. Next time we'll take a look at that figure, and what kind of tableau it could belong to.

Tags: Palace of Living Art Wax Museum The Captive

Palace of Living Art- Leonardo da Vinci and the Mona Lisa

Here's a shot from the Palace of Living Art showing Leonardo da Vinci painting the Mona Lisa. We see him with his model Lisa del Giocondo, and with the painting. Da Vinci spend many years working on the painting and it his become arguably his most famous work.

The figure of da Vinci. NOTE: The painting is a reproduction, and not the original.

Lisa del Giocondo posing for the painting.

A close up of the figure. Not exactly like the original, but a good likeness.

Visit the Palace of Living Art in San Fransisco here.

Tags: Palace of Living Art Wax Museum Mona Lisa

Palace of Living Art- Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix

Pauline Bonaparte (Paulina Borghese) as Venus Victrix at the Palace of Living Art at Movieland Wax Museum had the distinction of being recreated as both a marble statue, and as a wax figure. Here we see the latter up for sale, and sitting on the King and I set. Her couch is missing and the figure looks quite odd reclining up against air. The figure must have been in storage, or at the San Fransisco wax museum before being sold at the Movieland auction.

This closer view of the figure shows more detail. The Palace of Living Art figures are some of my favorite.

Outside of the museum was this marble statue that graced the former entrance to the Palace. This and several other statues remained in front of the building until they were sold at the auction.

A night time view reveals what seems to be a repair, or repaint to the statue's chest.

A daytime close up also shows the repair to the breast of the statue.

The wax figure sold at the auction for $900, while the marble statue sold for $7,000!

Visit the Palace of Living Art in San Fransisco here.

Tags: Palace of Living Art Wax Museum Pauline Bonaparte Venus Statue

Palace of Living Art- David

A recent news story was published this week that reveals where the new home of the giant statue of David that once guarded the Palace of Living Art will be. The statue found its way to the Ripley's Believe it or Not! museum in St. Augustine Florida, and will be missed by everyone who visited the late great Movieland Wax Museum. This vintage postcard shows the statue with a bit more covering than it usually has. The leaf is a nice touch!

This shot shows the statue shortly before the auction in 2006. It continued to watch over the empty building after the museum closed. The developers who planned on remodelling the property bought the statue at auction for $120,000! Unfortunately, the plans fell through and David was without a home.

David in the buff. He will be unveiled at his new home on November 2nd.

Amazing craftsmanship went into this recreation.

A night shot shows the perfect man. He must be cold up there.

Read the article about David's move here.

Visit the Palace of Living Art in San Fransisco here.

Tags: Palace of Living Art Wax Museum Michelangelo David Statue

Palace of Living Art- The Three Graces

One tableau at the Palace of Living Art that surely must have caused much commotion was the display of the Three Graces. This former addition to the Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park California housed many exotic, as well as thought provoking reproductions of famous artistic subjects. I'm not sure if this scene is reproducing a specific work, or since the Three Graces were a popular subject in Greek mythology, they created they're own version. There are many artistic visions of the Graces, and figures look like they come from a painting, so there is probably a specific work that they are based on.

A close up of the Three Graces; Aglaea, "Beauty", Euphrosyne "Mirth", and Thalia "Good Cheer". The Palace of Living Art closed in the early 1980's, and some of the figures moved to the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf in San Fransisco. Unfortunately, it is a smaller section than it was at Movieland, and the Three Graces are not there.

Visit the Palace of Living Art in San Fransisco here.

Tags: Palace of Living Art Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Three Graces

Palace of Living Art- Laughing Cavalier

The Palace of Living Art at the old Movieland Wax Museum housed many recreations of famous pieces of art. This tableau shows the 1624 painting by Frans Hals; Laughing Cavalier. Like many of the pieces in the Palace, it shows a wax figure next to its respective painting. The museum always attempts to sculpt the figure as close to the painting as possible. This, in essence, makes it a three dimensional portrait.

This is the figure, not the painting. It may just be me, but he doesn't seem to be laughing? Seeing the amount of detail that goes into the statue, these sets are probably more difficult to pull off the than the movie sets.

After the removal of the Palace, the collection moved North to the San Fransisco Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. Laughing Cavalier, unfortunately, cannot be found there, although other works can be seen at this smaller Palace of Living Art.

View more information on Laughing Cavalier here.

Visit the Palace of Living Art in San Fransisco here.

Tags: Palace of Living Art Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Laughing Cavalier Frans Hals

Palace of Living Art- American Gothic

(Grant Wood 1930)
The Palace of Living Art was a section of the Movieland Wax Museum that focused on recreations of famous Artistic masterpieces. Paintings, sculptures, and Artists were all represented in the museum. I am not sure if the Palace of Living Art had a separate admission, or if it was part of the Movieland tour. The Palace closed shortly before the opening of the Black Box Chamber of horrors interactive experience, which opened around 1982. Rumor has it that some of the sculptures were so heavy that they could not be moved, so right behind some of the horror sets were large marble statues. Sometime later, the Black Box was removed and a different, more static Chamber of Horrors was introduced. One of the most interesting pieces of art from the palace was a large recreation of the statue of David. The statue remained until Movieland's closing in 2005, and sold for an incredible $120,000.

After the removal of the Palace, the collection moved North to the San Fransisco Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. American Gothic can still be seen there, as can other scenes from this smaller Palace of Living Art.

View more information on the Grant Wood Painting; American Gothic here.

Visit the Palace of Living Art in San Fransisco here.

Tags: Palace of Living Art Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax American Gothic