Gilded Paradise: Recasting Lorenzo Ghiberti's Baptistery Doors

February 20 to October 24, 2026 10 years ago, a phenomenal discovery was made at BYU-Hawaii: dozens of gypsum casts, molded decades before from one of the most influential sculptures in history. It was the Gates of Paradise, Lorenzo Ghiberti's (1425-1452) iconic doors for Florence's Baptistery of San Giovanni, rendered near perfectly in plaster, but in desperate need of repair. Originally brought to Hawaii in 1984, they were transferred to the MOA in 2016, where we've has spent the last decade researching, restoring, and gilding this 18-foot-tall recast Renaissance masterpiece. Now, our very own Gates of Paradise are finally ready to be seen in all their grandeur. Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), panels from The Gates of Paradise: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and His Family, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and His Brothers, Moses and the Israelites, Joshua and Jericho, David and Goliath, and Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. 1452, gilded gypsum cast of the original, c. 1947-1948, Brigham Young University Museum of Art, with generous support from Bill and Barbara Benac, 2016. After this opening exhibition ends in October 2026, the Gates of Paradise will be moved to a permanent home in the MOA's West Lied Gallery.