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The Mona Lisa’s nose is asymmetrical.
It was a detail that Bobby Lakey felt as soon as he ran his fingers along the famous lady’s proboscis.
Lakey was one of the blind or visually impaired visitors to Envision Dallas’ Masterpiece Relief for the Blind on Thursday, Feb. 26, which featured award-winning sculptor Tomas Bustos, who creates brass relief sculptures of famous paintings so people with visual impairments can touch and experience the artwork themselves.
As Lakey’s fingers explored each detail, he said he was curious about that asymmetrical nose and asked his artificial intelligence about it. Not only was it a shining example of the detail that Bustos puts into the sculptures, but that detail was a part of the controversy surrounding who the Mona Lisa was.
Bustos’ sculpture of the “Mona Lisa” remains in the bronze patina, providing sighted visitors two unique ways to experience the famous painting. Others, including Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and Frida Kahlo’s “The Two Fridas,” are painted vividly and similarly to the originals.
Dan Klonowski, who is sighted, was amazed by the difference in how he experienced Bustos’ “Starry Night” compared to the original. “The first thing you see is the sky [in the original], but in yours, the focus is the tree,” he said.
Later, as Klonowski examined “American Gothic,” he said, “I love that his glasses are 3D.”
“The Two Fridas” is the only relief piece Bustos has done that is not of a size similar to the original, he said. The original “The Two Fridas” painting is six feet wide and six feet long. Because of cost, Bustos said his is about half those dimensions.
Bustos said he was inspired to start making the reliefs when he was commissioned to install a sculpture in Paris. He called the commission a dream come true because it provided him and his wife an opportunity to see the City of Light.
During that trip, as they were looking at art, Bustos said his wife commented it was a shame that people who were blind couldn’t experience the same thing they did at the museums. Her comment spurred him to solve that problem.
“Art is universal really. Everybody should have access,” he said.
Now Bustos has re-created six tactile masterpieces and hopes to create at least 20.
Bustos won the Dallas Historical Society’s Dallas History Maker Award for Creative Arts in November 2025 for his reliefs.
“This is taking art to the next level,” said Rober Ramirez, who said he helps keep Tomas in art supplies for the project.
His process is labor intensive and takes months for multiple stages.
Bustos starts by drawing each detail.
For Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” Bustos said he was confused by the lack of details he saw in photos, so he went to Chicago to see the original in person. He spent four hours just studying the painting and confirmed it indeed was missing a lapel and a pocket that he thought should have been there.
After the detailed drawing, he creates a painstakingly detailed relief sculpture in an oil-based clay. Then he creates a rubber mold and plaster piece, where he captures and fixes any imperfections.
When he’s satisfied with it, and has the funds, the plaster cast is sent to the foundry for casting. Finally, chemicals and heat are applied to the sculpture to create color.
A master of woodcarving, stone carving, bronze casting, welding, drawing and oil painting, Bustos said he now does woodworking to help fund the reliefs.
In addition, Bustos teaches clay classes at Envision Dallas, which he said took patience for his first student as he rolled a ball of clay in his hands before realizing that she couldn’t see it. It didn’t take them long to learn to communicate and work together though.
“They cannot see my hands!” Bustos said.
“I give tours, and I tell stories about you all the time,” said Larissa Roman, executive director of Envision Dallas.
Bustos said he’s given up the non-profit organization to fund the relief sculptures, but still appreciates donations to fund the work. Visit his website at https://masterpiecerelief.org.
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