For the 550th anniversary of the birth of Michelangelo Buonarroti (14751564) the Muscarelle Museum (Williamsburg, Virginia) hosted the exhibition Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine, running from March to June, 2025. The exhibition was an extraordinary account of the masters preparatory drawings for the Sistine Chapel frescoes, never before exhibited in America.
Before his death, Michelangelo destroyed many of his sketches, including numerous studies for the Sistine Chapel. Those that have been saved remain significant and iconic, providing a window into his creative process, highlighting his initial plans and his extraordinary vision for the frescoes of the Sistine ceiling. They range from what may be considered the first schematic study for the Sistine ceiling, to the numerous sketches of faces, limbs, and whole figures depicted in various positions, appearing as preparation for the figures later frescoed.
Thanks to rigorous scholarly research, this catalogue provides new insights into Michelangelos legacy, giving the reader an enriching and compelling experience.
Adriano Marinazzo, Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine
I. The Tomb of Julius II: The Project for the Four-Sided Mausoleum
II. Michelangelo and a First Drawing for the Sistine Ceiling
III. The Painted Architecture of the Sistine Ceiling
IV. Painted Stories from the Book of Genesis
V. Michelangelo the Creator
VI. The Wall Tomb
VII. After the Genesis: The Last Judgment
Additional Essays
Cristina Acidini, Alessandro Cecchi, Michelangelos Drawings for the Sistine
Chapel in the Casa Buonarroti Collection
Laura Donati, Michelangelos Drawings at the Uffizi. The Formation of the
Collection and its Sources
Fabrizio Biferali, Aut Caesar Aut Nihil. A Roman Iconography Involving Cesare
Borgia and Julius II
Entries, Adriano Marinazzo
Michelangelos Drawings Cat. 123
Other Works Cat. 2438
Appendix, Adriano Marinazzo
The Sistine Ceiling Painted Architecture: A Video Art Installation
Timeline of Michelangelos Life
Bibliographical References
Adriano Marinazzo is an art and architectural historian, architect, and visual artist, recognised as a distinguished scholar of Michelangelo and Italian Renaissance art and architecture. His body of work spans exhibition catalogues, monographs, and peer-reviewed articles. Marinazzo has taught at the University of Florence and now teaches at the Muscarelle Museum of Art of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, focusing his research on the intersections of digital design, art, and science.
