"You need a big ego to be an artist." Damien Hirst
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Today: "It's mine!"

In which we find out why Michelangelo decided to sign his Pietà.

Statue of Michelangelo at the piazzale of the Offices, Florence
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One cold night in Rome in 1501, Michelangelo crept into St Peter's Basilica as quietly as he could, after making sure that he had not been spotted.
He approached the Pietà, the sculpture he had created four years earlier, to add one important detail...

Michelangelo, The Pietà, 1498-1499, St Peter Basilica, Vatican
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The Pietà, an extraordinary sculpture which took less than a year to complete, was the result of tireless work. It represents the Virgin Mary holding her son Jesus in her arms after his body was removed from the cross. The entire sculpture was carved from a single block of marble, selected by the artist himself.

Michelangelo was very proud of this Pietà, created at the request of a cardinal. At the age of just 24, this was his first major commission as an artist.

The Pietà, Copyright Robert Hupka

One day, wanting to see his work one last time before leaving for Florence, Michelangelo overheard a conversation between visitors who had come to admire the sculpture.

One of them claimed that the artist was not Michelangelo, but a certain "Gobbo il Milanese"...

Detail of the Pietà

Michelangelo was a very difficult man. He could be aggressive, belligerent and... easily offended!
Deeply hurt by this lack of recognition, he decided to slip inside the Basilica at night and sign his sculpture.
Guided by the flickering light of a candle attached to his helmet, he worked all night sculpting a sash over the Virgin Mary's chest on which he carved "MICHAL.AGELUS BONAROTUS FLORENT.FACIEBAT", meaning "Michelangelo Buonarroti, Florentine, made this".

This act was an indelible way of showing everyone his true genius.
Michelangelo's contemporaries understood this, as Pietà was the only work that he ever needed to sign throughout his entire career...

The Pietà, Copyright Robert Hupka

For the curious minds:

About the artist

Get a feel for the Pietà in its environment

Other photographs of the Pietà



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A story told by
Caroline Pochart
Approved by Gérard Marié,
Art history professor
Sciences Po Paris
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Which English Romantic artist painted this landscape?
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You need a big ego to be an artist.
Damien Hirst
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