Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo Buonarroti (Caprese, 6 March 1475 - Rome, 18 February 1564) was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet. One of the supreme protagonists of the Italian Renaissance, he was already recognized in his own lifetime as one of the greatest artists ever to live. Works such as the David, the Pieta, and the Sistine Chapel frescoes are among the most celebrated achievements of Western art. His example deeply shaped later generations and played a central role in the rise of Mannerism.