Call it the meeting of a long-dead mentor and his namesake, hundreds of years later and in ninja turtle form.
Michelangelo, the fictional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, was spotted above ground in New York City last Thursday taking a break from fighting evil to enjoy the exhibit of the artist whose name he shares.
The artist Michelangelo’s work is the focus of “Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman & Designer,” which runs through Feb 12 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Met’s tweet sharing pictures of the exclusive tour has been retweeted more than 15,000 times and liked more than 29,000 times so far.
Serving as one of four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles working as the city’s ambassadors for family travel, Michelangelo (the turtle) was there to promote family travel to the Met and to New York City.
Fans of Michelangelo (the turtle) had some fun with his visit, Photoshopping other images onto photos of the storied museum’s exhibit.
While the date between the renowned artist – or at least his work – and a character from Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might seem strange, all four mutant turtles starring in the television series and movies are named after famous artists.
Maybe Mikey’s fellow turtles – Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello – will attend future exhibitions of the artists for which they are named.