Born in Arezzo, Tuscany, in 1511, Giorgio Vasari was a versatile
artist. Painter, architect, art collector, writer and historian, he
is primarily acknowledged today as the author of The Lives of the
Most Celebrated Painters, Sculptors and Architects. A foundational
book of art history; it has acted as the prototype for all
biographies of artists. Vasari had a prolific career in the city,
working for the Medici family, notably for Cosimo I, Grand Duke of
Tuscany. He cultivated friendships with many artists, including
Michelangelo, who influenced his style. Unusually well-educated for
an artist of his time, the 1540s, Vasari became involved in
chronicling the lives, times and works of the great artists of what
he called the Renaissance, defining the term as we understand it
today. 1550 saw publication of the first edition of the Lives of
the Painters in Florence.
Vasari died on 27 June 1574, while at work decorating the dome of
the cathedral in Florence.
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