Who Invented Michelangelo?

Giorgio Vasari and the Creation of the Artist Persona in Renaissance Florence.

Presented by Tony Luppino

Painter, architect, art consultant to the Medici court, and writer Giorgio Vasari gave us our first art stars: Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo, in his book, The Lives of the Most Eminent Artists, Sculptors and Architects. First written in 1550 and revised in 1568, it is recognized as the beginning of modern art history and criticism. It is still regarded as the most important source on Italian Renaissance art. But, how much of the book is fiction and how much is fact? Does it matter?

To find out more about the event, click here to view the Who Invented Michelangelo poster

Tony Luppino is a freelance writer, art critic, and museum consultant. He was Executive Director Art Gallery of Alberta from 2003 to 2009 where he led a major capital campaign to build a new gallery designed by Los Angeles architect Randall Stout.

He received his B.Sc. from Boston University and two Masters of Arts degrees in Anthropology (Archeology) and Art History, both from the University of Toronto.

He has taught Renaissance Art History, including a course on Vasari’s Lives of the Artists at the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension. In 2013 he created a CBC Ideas program about Vasari’s Lives of Renaissance Artists. He is currently working on a new CBC Ideas program about Marco Polo. Tony has served for many years on arts related committees and Boards, and speaks regularly about the importance of the arts in community and Italian Renaissance and Baroque art.

His articles and reviews appear in Canadian (Globe and Mail, Art City, Border Crossings, Legacy) and international publications, including Arts of Asia magazine (Hong Kong) with which he has a nearly 20 year relationship as book and exhibition reviewer.

His current research interests include Italian Renaissance artists’ biographies, Artists as celebrities, Albrecht Dürer and early printmaking in Europe as well as artists’ portraits and self-portraits, including contemporary video works. He collects 16th and 17th century Italian books.

Tony’s ideas about the artist as celebrity and branding of artists grows from his 30 plus years as an international advertising executive with companies including Saatchi & Saatchi in Europe and J. Walter Thomson in Canada. He was born in New Jersey, lived in Italy from 1974 to 1980 when he immigrated to Canada. He lives in Calgary.


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