masp takes over gettymuseum! From MASP’s collection, Nicolas Poussin's monumental painting "Hymenaeus Disguised as a Woman during an Offering to Priapus" is on view at the Getty Center in the exhibition "Poussin and the Dance" through Sunday, May 8. The painting depicts the story of an Athenian youth of humble birth named Hymenaeus who falls in love with a noblewoman. She belongs to a secret society that engages in rites to the fertility goddess, Demeter. So Hymenaeus (the tall figure at the far right in the third image) disguises himself to observe his beloved participating in the dancing rituals. This is the first time the painting has left Brazil since it was first acquired in the late 1950s. In 2009, the painting underwent cleaning and conservation treatment at MASP, which confirmed its attribution to Poussin. After its treatment, the painting revealed a surprising detail: the stone herm in the center (second image), representing the fertility god Priapus, has a large, erect ph...