In a long, tormented life, but one crowned with unparalleled success, Michelangelo Buonarroti (Caprese, Arezzo, 1475 - Rome, 1564) was the chief protagonist of the Italian Renaissance. His genius, developing early at the refined court of Lorenzo the Magnificent, was consecrated in the powerful, monumental Rome of the popes. Painter, architect and sculptor, he created works that have become symbols of Italian art: the David, the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.