'David' rolls into town for SAM's Michelangelo show

A crowd gathers around a scale-model replica of Michelangelo's "David" and a cart built in the 19th century during a preview of a new Seattle Art Museum exhibit, "Michelangelo: Public and Private." It opens today and runs through January.

The show's primary focus is on Michelangelo's drawings for the Sistine Chapel in Rome, giving viewers insight into his working process from sketches to the finished masterpieces.

Perhaps better known (but not coming to Seattle) is his 500-year-old statue of David. When the original — standing more than 17 feet tall — needed to be moved in 1873 from an outdoor plaza in Florence to the Accademia gallery, a special cart was built.

Now, as a fun twist on the Seattle exhibit, SAM is placing a dozen 18-inch-tall copies of "Little David" and his cart around the area. The museum is encouraging people who find them to take pictures of themselves with the cart and sculpture around town and follow directions for posting them at seattleartmuseum.org/david. Also starting today, SAM is presenting works of American sculptor Alexander Calder. That show, called "A Balancing Act," runs until April 11.