Italy is honouring the 550 anniversary of the birth of Renaissance master Michelangelo with a series of cultural events, primarily in Florence.
The celebrations begin on Thursday, marking the anniversary of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni’s birth in Caprese Michelangelo, a village around 100 km from Florence.
Florence is set to become home to “the most important museum on Michelangelo in the world,” according to Massimo Osanna, director general of Italy’s state museums. The Galleria dell’Accademia and the Bargello Museums will collaborate on joint itineraries, offering visitors access to both museums and Michelangelo’s rarely seen “Secret Room” beneath the Medici Chapels. The chamber, discovered 50 years ago, contains the artist’s sketches.
The celebrations include “The Eternal Contemporary. Michelangelo 1475-2025,” a programme of talks, readings, and concerts dedicated to the artist, best known for painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512.
The Galleria dell’Accademia, home to Michelangelo’s iconic David, also houses several of his other sculptures, including four unfinished Slaves, originally intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II, and the incomplete St Matthew, meant to be one of 12 apostles for Florence Cathedral. Meanwhile, the Bargello Museum houses four of Michelangelo’s works: Bacchus, Brutus, David-Apollo, and a relief of the Madonna and Child.
Beyond Florence, Caprese Michelangelo will also pay tribute to its most famous son at the Birthplace Museum of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Italy will further commemorate the occasion by issuing a special stamp and a collector’s coin in honour of the artist whose influence shaped Western art.
Earlier this week, Florence announced it will be home to the world’s most significant museum dedicated to Michelangelo.
