Michelangelo transforms a male model into a female figure. Discover the artist’s working process.
Michelangelo
Michelangelo's art could be tender and lyrical, dwelling upon the inherent tensions of the human condition.
Michelangelo, Taddei Tondo
Michelangelo left many sculptures unfinished, but perhaps none are more beautiful than the slaves.
Unfinished business—Michelangelo and the Pope
Replicas form a vital component of Michelangelo’s legacy, and they have helped transform him into a global cultural icon
Replicating Michelangelo
Where’s Goliath? David scans for his enemy. This colossal sculpture is itself a giant of High Renaissance art.
Michelangelo, David
What was happening in the world during Michelangelo's lifetime?
Tiny timelines: Michelangelo in context
What is mannerism, and why did it develop in the 16th century?
Mannerism, an introduction
He was mythologized by followers, emulated by artists, celebrated by humanists, and patronized by a total of nine popes.
Who was Michelangelo?
Michelangelo was known as il divino, (in English, “the divine one”) and it is easy for us to see why.
Michelangelo
Night and day, rough and polish—this chapel embodies opposition and traps the viewer in a moment of transition.
Michelangelo, Medici Chapel (New Sacristy)
Cracks, picks, polish—and teeth. Sounds like dentistry, but the pearly whites here are blocks of Carrara marble.
Quarrying and carving marble
Location, location, location. Meant for the cathedral, David presided over a public square—and now stands inside.
The many meanings of Michelangelo’s David
Watch a sculptor demonstrate the use of traditional tools as he carves a block of marble.
Carving marble with traditional tools
An ambitious ceiling made by a celebrated artist for the Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo turns book learning on its head. Defying classical grammar, he speaks his own architectural language.
Michelangelo, Laurentian Library
As demons harvest new souls and angels wake the dead, Mary crouches, powerless beside Christ.
Michelangelo, Last Judgment, Sistine Chapel
Bound to rock, these figures struggle to escape their marble prisons. One closes his eyes; the other looks to God.
Michelangelo, Slaves
Can stone be that soft? Contrast defines this sculpture. Mary is sweet but strong, and Christ, real yet ideal.
Michelangelo, Pietà
The greatest minds of the High Renaissance worked on this vast church. Construction took more than a century.
Saint Peter’s Basilica
God created the world in seven days, but it took Michelangelo four years to depict it on this remarkable ceiling.
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