Michelangelo's Authentic Corpus Examined in New Book
Jean-René Gaborit, former director of Sculptures at the Louvre, has published a comprehensive 500-page study reassessing Michelangelo's oeuvre. The book categorizes works into four groups: about thirty with certain authenticity, lost-and-found pieces that rarely achieve consensus, sculptures executed by others based on his designs or extrapolations, and works mistakenly attributed due to stylistic similarities. Gaborit's work synthesizes half a century of research to clarify the surprisingly poorly known corpus of the Renaissance master (1475-1564).
Key facts
- Jean-René Gaborit is the former director of Sculptures at the Louvre.
- The book is over 500 pages long.
- It covers half a century of research.
- Only about thirty works are deemed certainly authentic.
- Lost-and-found works rarely achieve consensus.
- Some sculptures were executed by others based on Michelangelo's designs.
- Some works were mistakenly attributed due to stylistic similarities.
- The article was published in L'ŒIL n°795 on May 1, 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Michel-Ange
- Michelangelo
Institutions
- Louvre
- L'ŒIL