PROVO — A series of unusual circumstances led to the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University acquiring a coveted painting of Jesus Christ that officials once believed they would never get.

Carl Bloch's "Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda" commissioned for the then-new Bethesda Indre Mission in Copenhagen hung in the building's chapel since the artist created it in 1883, said Dawn Pheysey, curator of the "Beholding Salvation: Images of Christ" exhibition now at the museum. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns the university, has used images of the painting in many of its publications for years.

"It was the key work for the building," museum director Campbell Grey said. "The building takes its name from the painting."

In 2001 museum officials approached the Lutheran priests who ran the Danish mission and expressed interest in acquiring the painting after learning from an art dealer that it may be available. The old mission was under renovation and short of money, Pheysey said.

Grey worried that it may be disrespectful or culturally invasive to discuss taking the painting out of the building where it had hung for 123 years. Additionally, BYU officials were unable to read the intent of the Lutheran priests as negotiations began.

"We were very gentle in our communications," Grey said.

Grey visited the mission and learned that the building was no longer used for religious purposes. Rather, the renovation would turn the building into a social center.

"The committee (to renovate the building) didn't have the same commitment to keep the painting (as the original Lutheran priests)," he said. "That allowed us to negotiate in earnest."

After reaching a satisfactory price — enough to complete the renovation — donors Jack and Mary Lois Wheatley offered to purchase it for the museum, Pheysey said.

But one more hurdle lay in front of them. Because Bloch was one of Denmark's most significant artists, the Danish government must allow the painting to leave the country. But since Bloch is known more for his historical paintings, his religious works were less significant to the Danes, so government officials allowed it to leave, Grey said.

"It certainly represents all of the principles we stand for at BYU," he said.

Shipping it to the United States was still another hurdle. Because of its value and age it had to be carefully packed and shipped upright in a specially constructed crate — laying it down could damage it. Susan Thompson, the museum's senior registrar, traveled to Copenhagen to oversee the project.

The painting measures 110 inches by 125 inches, which meant the museum had to wait until it could get it aboard a large enough cargo plane to make the trip.

Finally, on Sept. 10, 2001, the painting arrived, the day before the terrorist attack on America temporarily crippled air service. Had it been a day later, the painting might have been put into storage and damaged, Grey said.

"It's very dramatic to think what could have happened," he said.

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E-mail: rodger@desnews.com