Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564) is arguably the greatest and most famous sculptor in the history of art. He was a leader of the Italian High Renaissance and provided a significant amount of influence over western art for centuries.

Born in Florence, Italy in 1475, he served as an apprentice to the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio as a boy. As a teen, he graduated to studying the art of sculpture at the school of the Medici gardens where has was eventually taken in by the wealthy and powerful Medici family. With Lorenzo Medici as a patron he was able create two relief sculptures by the time he was 16.

After the Medici family was expelled from Florence, Michelangelo went to Rome and studied the classical statues and ruins that served as the models for sculpting excellence. During this time, Michelangelo created one of his most famous sculptures, the Pieta, for St. Peter’s Basilica. This sculpture received great praise from the public, but irritated by the lack of recognition that he received, Michelangelo etched his name on the sculpture. He later regretted this action and never signed another work of art.

Around 1500, Michelangelo returned to Florence and started work on what would become the masterpiece of all of his sculptures: the Statue of David. This sculpture forever established him as the greatest sculptor in history

Amazingly, though, the talents of Michelangelo were not limited to sculpture. For shortly after finishing the Statue of David, he was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the frescos for the Sistine Chapel. The scenes from this painting have become so famous that many of them exist as distinct works of art on their own. You will find many sculptural replicas of these scenes in our Michelangelo Sculpture Gallery.

Other famous sculptures in this gallery include the statue of Moses that was made for the Tomb of Julius II.

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