Originally scheduled for The Sheen Center, the exhibition now opens in the parish in partnership with Xavier High School, following concerns about the work
NEW YORK — The Church of St. Francis Xavier and Xavier High School have stepped in to present “Nicholas Leeper, SJ: Twilight of the Idols,” an exhibition originally scheduled at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, which canceled the show following concerns about how the work might be received.
The Church of St. Francis Xavier and Xavier High School are proud to provide a new home for the exhibition in support of Leeper and the way his work provokes, examines, and seeks to deepen the relationship between faith, culture, and a life of prayer. The exhibition will be on view from May 9 through May 29, with an opening reception following the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday, May 9.
The exhibition’s central work, Madonna and Child (Tomatokos), reimagines Mary as a mid-century housewife from a 1950s Campbell’s soup advertisement, holding a can of tomato soup in place of the infant Jesus. The advertisement is set against a gold ground in the style of Byzantine icons.
The work is one of 14 paintings that place the visual language of advertising and Pop Art within the structure of Byzantine iconography. Advertisements replace conventional depictions of the saints, inviting reflection on the Jesuit maxim to “find God in all things,” even in our consumer culture.
Leeper, a teacher of art and religion at Xavier High School and a Jesuit scholastic (priest-in-training), works within a theological tradition articulated by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, exploring how we understand the divine through paradox and analogy rather than illusion and resemblance. The central question: Can ads be icons and not mere idols? Both are designed to convert: one toward products, the other toward God. What separates them may be less about the image itself than about how we look.
The show opens amid a broader return to Roy Lichtenstein in New York: Gagosian’s “Painting with Scattered Brushstrokes” closed in April, and the Whitney opens a major retrospective this October. Simultaneously, Gen Z is engaging more with Catholicism through its aesthetics and rituals, filling New York churches and driving a rise in adult conversions.
The exhibition will be installed in the parish’s Mary Chapel, continuing St. Francis Xavier’s tradition of commissioning and presenting art that brings prayer, beauty, and challenging questions about justice and the sacred into public conversation.
A press walkthrough will take place on Wednesday, May 13, at 2:30 p.m.
Exhibition details:
“Nicholas Leeper, SJ: Twilight of the Idols”
At Church of St. Francis Xavier, Mary Chapel
46 W 16th St.
New York, NY 10011
May 9 to 29, 2026
“An idol isn’t an object; it’s an outlook. Sacred art is less about looks and more about looking. Idols become icons not by changing their appearance, but by changing how they appear to us.”
— Nicholas Leeper, SJ, Jesuit scholastic, artist, and teacher
“Throughout history, religious subjects have been depicted by artists of different cultures and in different media. Leeper employs his style to invite the viewer to engage in an encounter with members of the Holy Family and other saints as contemporary people much like us. The Church of St. Francis Xavier is delighted to host this exhibition as an intersection of the contemporary and the sacred.”
— Ken Boller, SJ, Pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier
“I know Nick Leeper, SJ as an outstanding teacher and artist. Through his teaching and his art, Nick invites us to encounter the living God and to free ourselves from the self-imposed shackles that limit our understanding of God and God’s love. Xavier High School is delighted to join with the Church of St. Francis Xavier in presenting this exhibition of Leeper’s work.”
— Jack Raslowsky, President of Xavier High School
“Nicholas Leeper’s Pop Icons merge religious symbolism with everyday objects, arresting the viewer’s attention, startling without resorting to shock. A true son of St. Ignatius, Nick perceives the Absolute in all things and compels us to do likewise as we become more aware of the Spirit radiating from within creation itself.”
— Dr. Stephen Costello, Philosopher, psychologist, and author of 18 books, three of which explore Ignatian spirituality. He is the founder of the Viktor Frankl Institute of Ireland.
Press images, captions, and additional materials are available at Twilight-Leeper
About Nicholas Leeper, SJ
Nicholas Leeper, SJ (b. 1992) is a Jesuit artist and teacher based in New York. He teaches art, Scripture, and ethics at Xavier High School and writes on art and faith for America, the 117-year-old Jesuit review of faith and culture. His most recent work was selected and exhibited at the Biennale d’Art Contemporain Sacré in Menton, France. His work is held in private collections and has been exhibited in the United States, Peru, the United Kingdom, and France.
About Xavier High School
Founded in 1847, Xavier High School is a Catholic, Jesuit, college preparatory school in New York City. The school expanded its campus in 2016 with a 36,000 square-foot addition featuring dedicated arts facilities, including a theater, recording studio, and visual arts spaces, offering 24 courses across drama, music, visual art, and film. Xavier forms young men of diverse backgrounds and means to take responsibility for their lives, lead with integrity, act justly in service of others, pursue excellence, and deepen their relationship with God — ultimately sending them forth to transform the world for God’s greater glory.
About the Church of St. Francis Xavier
The Church of St. Francis Xavier is a Roman Catholic parish in the Jesuit tradition located in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. For over 175 years, the parish has built a collection of sacred art that engages questions of justice, inclusion, and the divine — from its 19th-century murals and stained glass to contemporary commissions including Patricia Brintle’s BIPOC saints portraits and John Nava’s civil rights tapestries honoring Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King Jr., and Harry Belafonte. The parish has long championed social justice and LGBTQ+ inclusion, creating space where difficult questions are welcomed.
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Contact:
Paul Moreno / Shawna Gallagher Vega, APR
The Church of St. Francis Xavier / Xavier High School
212-627-2100 / 212-924-7900
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RNS or Religion News Foundation.
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