Full Name: Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
Profession: Sculptor and Painter
Biography: Considered one of the greatest artists of all time and a leading artist during the Italian Renaissance. Michelangelo was a painter, sculptor, architect and poet. Considered the original 'Renaissance Man' Michelangelo's career developed alongside of, and was often compared to, that of his elder rival Leonardo da Vinci.
Born within the Republic of Florence, Michelangelo began his career as an apprentice to Florentine artist Domenico Ghirlandaio. Two of his great sculptural pieces were completed before he was 30 years of age - the Pieta, now in Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, and his statue of David for the city of Florence.
Michelangelo is also celebrated for his paintings in the Sistine Chapel within the Vatican. The ceiling, on which he worked for four years, depicts scenes from the bible's Book of Genesis. He later competed The Last Judgement on the back wall.
Michelangelo's architectural work comes mostly from his later career. It reached its peak when he was appointed architect of St Peter's Basilica in Rome in 1546. Building on the work of earlier architects for the church, such as Bramante and Bernini, Michalangelo was responsible for realizing its layout, including its massive dome, the tallest in the world.
Born: March 6, 1475
Birthplace: Caprese, Tuscany, Italy
Star Sign: Pisces
Died: February 18, 1564 (aged 88)
Articles and Photos
Florence Cathedral
A procession passes Florence Cathedral, its Baptistery and Campanile in the Piazza del Duomo
, AD
The Plot Behind Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Masterpiece
Michelangelo’s work on 12 Apostles, started on this day, was abandoned after a call from Rome – which led to the magnificent painting of the Sistine Chapel.
September 11, 1503
The Statue of David
A masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, The Statue of David completed by Michelangelo in 1504
September 8, 1504
Historical Events
- 1498-08-26 Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pietà sculpture by French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères
- 1501-08-16 Michelangelo awarded a contract to create a statue of David at Florence Cathedral by the Overseers of the Office of Works (the Operai) of the Duomo
- 1501-09-13 Michelangelo begins work on his statue of David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture
- 1503-04-24 Michelangelo undertakes to carve 12 Apostles for the Cathedral of Florence, each four and a quarter braccia high (248.2cm), at the rate of at least one completed statue per year. He produced only one, of St. Matthew, and that remained unfinished.
- 1503-09-11 Michelangelo begins sculpting the 12 Apostles for the Cathedral of Florence, over-life-sized marble statues of which only 1 was partly finished, that of St. Matthew
- 1504-09-08 Michelangelo's statue of David is unveiled in Florence
- 1512-11-01 Michelangelo's paintings on ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican first exhibited
- 1541-10-31 Michelangelo Buonarroti finishes painting "The Last Judgement" in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
- 1972-05-21 Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal
- 1998-01-28 Michelangelo's drawing "Christ and the Woman of Samaria" sells for $7.4 million - a record prince for the artist
- 2018-11-15 Art experts in England authenticate two bronzes of men riding panthers as Michelangelo's only surviving bronze works
Biographies and Sources
- $7 Million Michelangelo - The New York Times
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