Manhattan Artist Decides To Recreate Sistine Chapel Ceiling In His Studio Apartment

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A local artist who takes on big projects for the rich and famous has decided to challenge himself.

Alex Gardega always felt a replica of Michelangelo's murals that cover the ceiling of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel belonged in New York City.

Now, he's found a great place to put it -- his apartment.

"I decided I wanted to create one in my space and now I have to decide about the side walls and how crazy I really want to go, as far as getting involved in that," Gardega said.

It took the great master four years to complete the murals but Gardega thinks he can recreate the images on the ceiling of his Manhattan studio apartment in just a few months.

"I've done a lot of murals for people, including pretty complex da Vinci murals," Gardega said. "I'm pretty confident, at the very least, I can bring it home in four months, I was trying for two, but that's probably me being a little presumptuous."

Gardega's apartment is a rental and he's curious whether the landlord will paint over his Sistine Chapel and turn it back in a white ceiling.

"I'm a professional, I get paid a decent amount of money for these things from wealthy homeowners," he said. "I'll find it very surreal if they just wipe the thing out. I wouldn't be upset, it'd just be very interesting to see how it will be handled."

Gardega, who has done drawings for Matt Dillon and Drew Barrymore, said he hasn't been himself since his father died of a heart attack last year and is hoping the project will give him a shot at redemption.