Michelangelo. The achievement of fame: vol. 1 (Michelangelo: The Achievement of Fame, 1475-1534) - Tapa dura

"[A] meticulously researched and clearly presented account. The content is uniformly reliable and objectively reasoned. The ample and judicious bibliography and notes focus on documentation, making this work particularly useful for researchers. Publication of this authoritative reckoning of the artist's life and works is a significant event, and one greatly anticipates the next volume."-A.V. Coonin, Choice -- A.V. Coonin Choice

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 his final 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.