Michelangelo Buonarroti

1475-1564 · Italian (Florentine/Roman) · Italian High Renaissance

Known for: Sculptor of David, painter of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, architect of St. Peter's dome

Michelangelo was arguably the greatest sculptor who ever lived and one of the supreme painters and architects in history. His David, carved from a block of marble other sculptors had rejected, became the symbol of Florence. The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted over four agonizing years on scaffolding, is one of humanity's greatest artistic achievements.

He worked with ferocious intensity until days before his death at 88, designing the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in his final years. He feuded bitterly with Leonardo, Bramante, and virtually every other artist alive. He was irascible, suspicious, and perpetually exhausted - but his poetry reveals deep emotional sensitivity and spiritual torment.

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