Benvenuto Cellini and the Embodiment of the Modern Artist - (Renaissance Lives) by Andreas Beyer (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A clear-eyed reconsideration of a scandalous Renaissance sculptor's autobiography and art.

Benvenuto Cellini was a murderer, thief, lover of all genders, 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. Many of the most disturbing passages have been dismissed as fiction, but in this clear-eyed portrayal, Andreas Beyer argues that these sensational accounts of the body, sex, and extreme experiences are not only entertaining but historically authentic. The stories reveal the depth of Cellini's character: an artist who embraced life and shattered boundaries. Ultimately, this book discovers the roots of modern art's fascination with the autonomous artist deep within Cellini's audacious life and work.

Review Quotes

"Much of the book dwells not on Cellini's artwork but the provocative details of his life - his fetishes, insecurities, absurdities . . . a raucous account, and it's in keeping with Cellini's style. His handiwork is typically Mannerist - it takes realistic anatomical proportions and stretches them, exaggerating them into something exquisite and otherworldly."-- "Wall Street Journal"

"Beyer is the rare scholar who writes perceptively both about Cellini's art and about his extraordinary autobiography. Anyone looking for a lively, expert introduction to the man and his work would do well to start here."--Michael Cole, Columbia University

"Beyer's Benvenuto Cellini and the Embodiment of the Modern Artist is a wonderful achievement, showing how the artist described by Oscar Wilde as the 'scoundrel of the Renaissance' was not just one of its great mavericks, but also the first truly modern artist. A vital book on a singular artist."--Jerry Brotton, Queen Mary University of London

About the Author

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.