Michelangelo
Italian·1475–1564
Renaissance master Michelangelo (1475-1564) was a sculptor, painter, architect, and poet whose influence on Western art remains unmatched. Called "Il Divino" (the divine one) in his lifetime, he created works of terribilita, awe-inspiring power. Though he considered himself primarily a sculptor, his Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508-1512) and Last Judgment (1541) rank among painting's greatest achievements. His 17-foot David embodies the Renaissance ideal of perfect humanity.
Michelangelo apprenticed to Ghirlandaio at 13 before joining Lorenzo de' Medici's household, studying sculpture in his garden. The Pieta (1499), completed at 24, established his fame. Pope Julius II commissioned the Sistine ceiling; Michelangelo fired all assistants and painted the 65-foot ceiling alone over four years, creating over 300 figures including the iconic Creation of Adam. He designed St. Peter's Basilica dome in his final decades. Three biographies were published during his lifetime, unprecedented for an artist. His works remain in situ at the Vatican Museums, while the David stands at Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia. He died at 88, outliving all other Renaissance masters.
Primary Genres
Gallery Locations1 work with exact room numbers
Paintings by Michelangelo
28 paintings catalogued with museum locations
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The Creation of Adam
Michelangelo, 1512
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
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Study of figure to "Battle of Cascina"
Michelangelo
British Museum, London
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Study for an arm of the marble David and the figure of the bronze David
Michelangelo
Louvre, Paris, Paris
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Sketch of a Nude Man (study for the "Battle of Cascina")
Michelangelo
British Museum, London
Drawing
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Studies for the Libyan Sibyl
Michelangelo, 1511
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Michelangelo, 1512
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
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The Prophet Isaiah
Michelangelo, 1509
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
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Various studies
Michelangelo
Louvre, Paris, Paris
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The Torment of Saint Anthony
Michelangelo
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth
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The Entombment
Michelangelo
National Gallery, London
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Study to "Battle of Cascina"
Michelangelo
Casa Buonarroti, Florence, Florence
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St. Proculus
Michelangelo
Basilica of St. Domenico, Bologna, Bologna
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St. Petronius
Michelangelo
Basilica of St. Domenico, Bologna, Bologna
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St. Paul
Michelangelo
Duomo di Siena, Siena, Siena
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St. Anne with Virgin and Child Christ
Michelangelo
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Oxford
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Pius
Michelangelo
Duomo di Siena, Siena, Siena
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Pieta
Michelangelo
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican
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Male nude and arm of bearded man
Michelangelo
Louvre, Paris, Paris
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Madonna of the Stairs
Michelangelo
Casa Buonarroti, Florence, Florence
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Madonna and Child
Michelangelo
Church of Our Lady, Bruges, Bruges
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Crucifixion
Michelangelo
Casa Buonarroti, Florence, Florence
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Bacchus
Michelangelo
Bargello (Palazzo del Popolo), Florence, Florence
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Angel with Candlestick
Michelangelo
Basilica of St. Domenico, Bologna, Bologna
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The Libyan Sibyl
Michelangelo, 1511
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
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The Last Judgment
Michelangelo, 1541
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
Drawing
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The Fall of Phaeton
Michelangelo, 1533
British Library, London, London
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Doni Tondo (Holy Family)
Michelangelo, 1507
Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Florence
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The Deluge
Michelangelo, 1509
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
Sculptures by Michelangelo
4 sculptures catalogued with museum locations. Browse all sculptures
Museums with Michelangelo's Work
17 museums display Michelangelo's works. Click any museum to see visiting info and the specific works they hold.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, USA
1 work on display
Studies for the Libyan Sibyl
Louvre, Paris
Paris, France
3 works on display
Male nude and arm of bearded man
Study for an arm of the marble David and the figure of the bronze David
National Gallery
London, UK
1 work on display
The Entombment
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Florence, Italy
1 work on display
Doni Tondo (Holy Family)
British Museum
London, United Kingdom
2 works on display
Sketch of a Nude Man (study for the "Battle of Cascina")
Study of figure to "Battle of Cascina"
+4
Vatican Museums
Vatican City, Vatican City
7 works on display
The Creation of AdamSistine Chapel
Pietà
British Library, London
London, UK
1 work on display
The Fall of Phaeton
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Oxford, UK
1 work on display
St. Anne with Virgin and Child Christ
Kimbell Art Museum
Fort Worth, United States
1 work on display
The Torment of Saint Anthony
Casa Buonarroti, Florence
Florence, Italy
3 works on display
Madonna of the Stairs
Crucifixion
Basilica of St. Domenico, Bologna
Bologna, Italy
3 works on display
St. Proculus
Angel with Candlestick
Duomo di Siena, Siena
Siena, Italy
2 works on display
Pius
St. Paul
Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze, Florence
Florence, Italy
1 work on display
David
Palazzo Vecchio
Florence, Italy
1 work on display
Genius of Victory
St. Peter's Basilica
Vatican, Unknown
1 work on display
Pieta
Bargello (Palazzo del Popolo), Florence
Florence, Italy
1 work on display
Bacchus
Church of Our Lady, Bruges
Bruges, Belgium
1 work on display
Madonna and Child
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About Michelangelo
Michelangelo was a defining figure of the High Renaissance, working alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. His powerful, muscular figures and emotional intensity later influenced Mannerism. He considered himself primarily a sculptor, though his painted ceiling changed art history.
His David stands in Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia. The Pietà is in St. Peter's Basilica. The Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment are at the Vatican Museums. The Bargello in Florence holds several early works.
He famously insisted he was a sculptor, not a painter, initially refusing Pope Julius II's Sistine Chapel commission. He believed figures existed within marble, waiting to be freed. His David, carved from a block other sculptors had abandoned, demonstrates this philosophy.
He painted the ceiling from 1508 to 1512, four years of work on scaffolding he designed himself. Pope Julius II wanted twelve apostles; Michelangelo convinced him to approve 300+ figures depicting Genesis. He returned decades later to paint The Last Judgment (1536–1541).
The David (1504), standing 17 feet tall at Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia, is probably the most famous sculpture in the world. He carved it from a marble block that two other sculptors had given up on, completing it in about two years.
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