Michelangelo Buonarroti or Michelangelo is one of the most admired and mysterious artists in history. Some of his secrets will soon be revealed when a room where he lived for two months opens to the public for the first time in centuries.
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The room in question is located under the chapels of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence. The Renaissance master spent two months there in 1530 to avoid the death sentence of Pope Clement VII. This sovereign pontiff was a member of the Medici, with whom Michelangelo was in conflict after his participation in the Republic of Florence. During this revolt, the powerful family was temporarily expelled from the Italian city. The return of the Medici to power forced the then 55-year-old artist to go into hiding until he finally received a pardon from the Pope.
During this period of isolation, Michelangelo is said to have made numerous charcoal and chalk drawings on the walls of his room. Since the artist generally did not sign his works, it is difficult to confirm the originality of these sketches with certainty. However, the general opinion is that most of these are by the Italian master, as they bear similarities to some of his most famous works.
The existence of these sketches remained unknown until 1975. It was then that Paolo Dal Poggetto, then director of the Medici Chapels, discovered it while looking for a suitable space to create a new museum space. A trap door hidden under a cupboard provided access to this 10 meter long and 3 meter wide prison-like room.
Previously, this room was only accessible to historians and art researchers. Visitors will be allowed to enter from November 15th, but only in groups of four. A restricted device that aims to best preserve the room and the relics within it. Francesca de Luca, curator of the Medici Chapels, explains in a press release that the general public will have the opportunity to discover a piece with “extraordinary evocative potential.” And he adds: “Its walls seem to contain a multitude of figure sketches, most of them monumental, accompanied by signs that testify to a great clarity of conception.” [de la part de Michel-Ange]”.