Michelangelo unveiled: the drawings of the Florentine genius illustrated at Casa Buonarroti

A new series of conferences has began on 7th November 2024, at Casa Buonarroti, the prestigious Florentine museum that houses an important collection of Michelangelo’s autograph drawings. The series includes ten fascinating meetings that offer scholars and art enthusiasts the opportunity to explore the remarkable figure of Michelangelo as a draftsman.

The first lecture on the Sheet 19F of Casa Buonarroti

This captivating journey, which will conclude in April 2025, features presentations by eminent researchers and experts in Michelangelo’s art. They will examine various aspects of Michelangelo’s graphic talent, from his architectural experiments to his connections with classical antiquity and his relationships with contemporary artists like Jacopo Pontormo and Perin del Vaga, as well as his illustrious patrons.

I was fortunate to attend the first conference, the last 7th November, on the Sheet 19F of Casa Buonarroti, curated by Vincenzo Sorrentino, a researcher at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. The subject was the funerary monument for Cecchino Bracci, discussed in relation to the drawings on the aforementioned sheet by Michelangelo, preserved in Casa Buonarroti. This drawing appear to be the master’s project for the young Florentine, who tragically died in Rome.

Cecchino Bracci, born Francesco de’ Zanobi Bracci, was part of a family of Florentine bankers exiled to Rome during the Medici Duchy. Despite his short life, Bracci left a lasting impression on Michelangelo, who regarded him almost as a son. Following Bracci’s untimely death, Buonarroti expressed his profound sorrow through over forty epigrams dedicated to the young man, who was taken from life too soon.

This first meeting provided an opportunity to rediscover the fascinating events that connect Michelangelo to his contemporaries, offering new insights into the complex network of relationships and intellectual exchanges that the Florentine genius maintained.

The next appointments

The next event, scheduled for 21st November, will feature Andrea Felici from the University of Urbino “Carlo Bo,” who will guide the audience through Michelangelo’s autographs and architectural studies in a conference titled “Michelangelo Between Word and Image.”

Admission to the conferences, each starting at 5:00 pm, is free, subject to availability, making it a remarkable chance to immerse oneself in the creative universe of one of history’s greatest artistic geniuses.

Additionally, the exhibition of drawings, coinciding with the conferences, serves as another incentive to visit Casa Buonarroti. A guided tour dedicated to Casa Buonarroti and Michelangelo in Florence could enhance your experience even further.

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