Benvenuto Cellini and the Embodiment of the Modern Artist

(Hardback)

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The art history public has long been both fascinated and repelled by renowned Renaissance sculptor Benvenuto Cellini. He was a murderer, thief, lover of all genders, servant and rival of popes and princes, as well as an ingenious artist. In his legendary autobiography, the Vita, Cellini describes his activities vividly and in lurid detail. Often, the most disturbing passages were dismissed as fiction. In this clear-eyed portrayal, Andreas Beyer argues that these sensational accounts of body, sex and extreme experiences are not only entertaining but authentic. They reveal the true depth of Cellini's character: an artist who embraced life's full spectrum and shattered all boundaries. This book asserts that the roots of artistic autonomy in modernism can be traced back to Cellini's audacious life and work.

Author Bio

Andreas Beyer is Professor of Modern Art History at the University of Basel and was previously Director of the Centre allemand d'histoire de l'art in Paris. He has published widely on art history.