It's not often you get a chance to see huge 38 foot long, 9 foot high work of art up close, especially after it was restored to its original splendor. I got that chance recently at the historic Lyric Theatre, as I was able to walk right up to "Allegory of the Muses".

The mural was painted in 1913 by Birmingham artist Harry Hawkins when the theater was built. Hawkins was a student of John Singer Sargent at the Chicago Art Institute.

Scaffolding will be removed soon so this may be the last close look at the mural at eye level. You see, the mural is above the stage about 30 feet up.

Two experts from EverGreene Architectural Art spent six weeks on the scaffolding, removing old, black varnish with a special solvent and then reapplying new varnish to protect the painting. All of the work was done by hand. EverGreene a New York based company, specializes in restoration and conservation historic artwork and plasterwork.

"When we got up to the mural it was black," Brant Beene explained. " It looked like it had been painted will a coat of black paint. Now it is restored to its' original splendor." Beene is the executive director of Birmingham Landmarks.

The $10 million restoration is slated for completion in December of this year. A Grand Opening of the Lyric Theatre will take place in mid-January 2016.

The mural is another beautiful piece of Birmingham history that will now be enjoyed by countless thousands of visitors to the theatre when it reopens.

Lights come on at Lyric Theatre