Giorgio Vasari

Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of the Italian Renaissance with Giorgio Vasari's seminal work, The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. Often hailed as the first art historian, Vasari offers readers an unparalleled look at the artistic achievements that defined an era. This masterful collection of artist biographies transports you from the humble beginnings of the...

Lives of the Artists made Vasari one of the most influential art historians of all time, fusing literary and artistic ability. In his Lives of the Artists of the Italian Renaissance, Vasari demonstrated a literary talent that outshone even his outstanding abilities as a painter and architect. Through character sketches and anecdotes, he depicts Piero di Cosimo shut away in...

Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Most Famous Painters, Sculptors and Architects (1550 and 1569) is a classic of cultural history. A monumental assembly of artists' lives from Giotto to Michelangelo, it paints a vivid picture of the progress of art in the hands of individual masters. No Life is more vivid than that of Leonardo, a near-contemporary of Vasari—not even...

Vasari (1511-1574) was himself a painter, but he is really remembered for these biographies which begin with Cimabue and Giotto in the late 13th century and trace the developments in Italian art down to the golden epoch of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Titian. Lives of the Artists also conveys much about the author himself and his abilities as a critic inspired...

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary 'In this painting of Leonardo's there was a smile so pleasing that it seemed divine rather than human.'