Michelangelo: The Achievement of Fame, 1475-1534

Michelangelo: The Achievement of Fame, 1475-1534 by Hirst, Michael. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780300118612.

This remarkable book is the first of two volumes in what will be the definitive modern biography of Michelangelo. An illuminating study of Michelangelos extraordinary career, it follows the artist from his apprenticeship in Ghirlandaios 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 Pietà, 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 artists correspondence and artistic contracts. The wealth of new information enables light to be shed on the genesis of Michelangelos works in sculpture, painting, and architecture, and on his complex psychological relations with his family, friends, and powerful patrons.