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Trevor Pearson stands next to one of the most famous artworks at the Minneapolis Institute of Art — Raffaelo Monti’s “Veiled Lady” — and it’s slowly melting. Well, the original 1860 marble isn’t melting; Pearson’s ice-carved replication is.

Pearson’s “Veiled Lady” is one of ten ice sculptures by Minnesota Ice on view starting Thursday for Mia’s “Minneapolis Institute of Ice” event. 

“It’s probably the hardest piece I've ever done,” says Pearson, an artist with local ice manufacturer Minnesota Ice. “Ice is such a hard medium because it's transparent … to get it so that it looks like lace laying over a woman’s face, it's so hard. And then to still have the indentations for the eyes and the nose and the way that the veil kind of drapes off of the nose.”

The sculptures will be on view in the museum courtyard through Feb 4, weather permitting. Visitors can take a self-guided tour to see the original pieces in the museum.

The ice exhibition also include replications of:

The sculptures weigh anywhere from 200 to 1,200 pounds. As the ice melts, Pearson says, the first parts to lose definition will be the finer details.

“One of the beautiful things about ice carving is that it relies so much on your memory and the impact that it creates when you initially see it,” Pearson says. “It’s the memories that are going to last way longer than the art is, so it’s kind of bittersweet.”

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Pearson’s “Veiled Lady” is one of ten ice sculptures by Minnesota Ice on view starting Thursday for Mia’s “Minneapolis Institute of Ice” event. The sculptures will be on view in the museum courtyard through Feb. 4, weather permitting.

Frozen masterpieces: Ice sculptures at the Minneapolis Institute of Art

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