Before reaching the tender age of 30,Michelangelo Buonarroti(1475 1564) had already sculptedPietàandDavid, two of the most famous sculptures in the entire history of art. As a sculptor, painter, draftsman, and architect, the achievements of this Italian master are uniqueno artist before or after him has ever produced such a vast, multifaceted, and wide-ranging uvre.This fresh TASCHEN edition traces Michelangelo sascent to the cultural elite of the Renaissance.Ten richly illustrated chapters cover the artist s paintings, sculptures, and architecture, including aclose analysis of the artist s tour de force frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Full-page reproductions and enlarged details allow readers to appreciate the finest details in the artist s repertoire, while the book sbiographical essayconsiders Michelangelo s more personal traits and circumstances, such as his solitary nature, his thirst for money and commissions, his immense wealth, and his skill as a property investor.
