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Michelangelo, Volume 1: The Achievement of Fame, 1475-1534

Michelangelo, Volume 1: The Achievement of Fame, 1475-1534

Current price: $63.00
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Publisher:
Yale University Press
ISBN:
9780300118612
Pages:
438

Description

This remarkable book is the first of two volumes in what will be the definitive modern biography of Michelangelo. An illuminating study of Michelangelo's extraordinary career, it follows the artist from his apprenticeship in Ghirlandaio's workshop to hisfinal move to Rome in 1534, when, at the age of 59, he left behind his native Florence, never to return. During these years he created such outstanding works as the marble "Pieta," the giant marble "David," commissioned for the cathedral in Florence, the Sistine Ceiling frescoes, and the new sacristy and library for the Medici family at San Lorenzo. He began the monumental tomb for Pope Julius II in Rome, and he became one of the most sought-after artists of the early 16th century.

Written by the leading Michelangelo scholar, this prodigiously informative account benefits from recent archival discoveries and restorations, and is enriched by material from the long-awaited editions of the artist's correspondence and artistic contracts. The wealth of new information enables light to be shed on the genesis of Michelangelo's works in sculpture, painting, and architecture, and on his complex psychological relations with his family, friends, and powerful patrons.

About the Author

Michael Hirst is professor emeritus in the history of art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.