A modern rethinking of the career and vision of one of the greatest artists of all time on the 500th anniversary of his death

The towering genius of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) has been celebrated-and remained undisputed-for hundreds of years. A groundbreaking, essential addition to scholarship, Leonardo da Vinci Rediscovered continues this legacy while simultaneously reexamining the multifaceted artist's life and work from the ground up. This authoritative, four-volume study marks the 500th anniversary of the great master's death with a sweeping, up-to-date portrait of Leonardo as he has never been seen before.

Internationally renowned Leonardo specialist Carmen C. Bambach unfurls new narratives, largely based on the most important, yet most misunderstood, body of evidence available: the artist's drawings, paintings, and manuscripts. In the manner of a biographer, Bambach combs through contemporary documents and more than 4,000 surviving sheets of Leonardo's notes and drawings to extract details about his development as an artist and thinker that have never before been suggested. Some 1,500 illustrations portray the staggering, spectacular legacy that Leonardo left behind on paper and canvas. Through Bambach's comprehensive research, Leonardo emerges as a figure who both embodies his era and completely transcends it, enduring as one of history's greatest artists, scientists, and inventors.

A comprehensive and breathtakingly illustrated presentation of the genius of Michelangelo by the world's leading expert on the artist The Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was especially celebrated for his disegno, a term that embraces both drawing and conceptual design. Featuring more than 200 drawings as well as paintings, sculpture, and architectural plans and views, this authoritative examines Michelangelo as "the divine draftsman and designer" whose work, according to Giorgio Vasari, embodied the unity of the arts. Carmen C. Bambach delivers a thorough and engaging narrative of the artist's long career, beginning with his training under Ghirlandaio and Bertoldo and ending with his 17-year appointment as chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. In each thematic chapter, related drawings and other works are illustrated and discussed together, many for the first time, to provide new insights into Michelangelo's creative process. In addition to St. Peter's, other featured projects include the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Tomb of Pope Julius II, and the architecture of the Campidoglio in Rome. Michelangelo's theories of art are also explored, and new consideration is given to his personal life and affections and their effect on his creative output. Magnificent in every way, this book will be the foremost publication about this remarkable artist for many years. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (11/13/17-02/12/18)