TheCollector recently had the pleasure of speaking with curator Adriano Marinazzo about Michelangelo: The Genesis of the Sistine, an exciting new exhibition held at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. On view from March 6 to May 28, 2025, the exhibition brings together Michelangelo’s rarely seen initial studies and early drawings for the world-renowned frescoes he completed in the Sistine Chapel. As a leading scholar on the oeuvre of Michelangelo, Marinazzo has also used this once-in-a-lifetime show to introduce several discoveries in Michelangelo’s work that have not previously been presented to the public. Read on to find out more!
You are considered a leading scholar of Michelangelo, and this exhibition can be seen as a culmination of 15 years’ worth of research into his life and works. How did your journey with Michelangelo begin? What in particular stood out to you and made you want to specialize in the Italian Renaissance, especially Michelangelo’s art?
My first love in Renaissance art was Raphael. In my family home, I still have a painting I made as a child, copying a Raphael Madonna and Child—I think I was about ten years old. But later, I discovered Michelangelo. In fact, during my final high school oral exam, I was asked about the Sistine Ceiling. I was thrilled because it was my favorite subject. Even at 17, I was deeply fascinated by his genius and bravery. Over the years, my research at Casa Buonarroti, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Vatican Museums granted me access to Michelangelo’s drawings, letters, and archival documents. This allowed me to uncover new perspectives on his work and continuously refine my understanding of his creative process.
As briefly and succinctly as possible: Who was Michelangelo, and why should people (i.e., non-art history enthusiasts) care about him?
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterMichelangelo was the ultimate Renaissance man—sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer. His works, from the Sistine Chapel to the David, define Western art. His influence transcends art history; he tackled universal themes of human struggle, ambition, and spirituality, making his work timeless and relevant even today.
Many are familiar with Michelangelo’s works in the Sistine Chapel, but very few likely ask themselves how his iconic frescoes came to be. So, how did Michelangelo realize these world-famous masterpieces?
Pope Julius II initially envisioned a simple decoration with twelve apostles, but Michelangelo soon persuaded him to embrace a far grander vision. He designed an illusionistic architectural framework and meticulously refined his compositions through preparatory drawings. Despite immense physical and technical challenges—working for years on scaffolding high above the chapel—he transformed the ceiling into a masterpiece that redefined the possibilities of fresco painting forever.
How do the drawings featured in the exhibition help us better understand his artistic process?
Michelangelo saw his drawings as private tools, not finished artworks. He destroyed many of them, but the surviving sheets reveal his thought process—his early ideas, problem-solving, and experimentation. These sketches offer a rare, unfiltered look at his creative journey, showing how he refined gestures, expressions, and compositions before committing them to fresco.
The exhibition is said to provide an “unprecedented glimpse into the mind of one of the most famous artists of the world.” After visiting the exhibition, what do you think visitors will take away from the experience?
Visitors will have the rare opportunity to see a collection of Michelangelo’s drawings that are almost never available to the public, including seven that have never been displayed in the US. They will witness nearly half of the surviving preparatory drawings for the Sistine Ceiling—an extraordinary feat, considering that Michelangelo destroyed most of his sketches before his death, leaving fewer than 50 related to the ceiling.
For the first time ever, we will also present what is likely Michelangelo’s very first drawing for the Sistine Ceiling. Additionally, the exhibition includes four drawings for The Last Judgment, an exceptionally rare set, as fewer than a dozen related sketches survive.
On a similar note, do you think that the 39 exhibited objects form a cohesive story from the first ideas to the final result, or was Michelangelo’s process messier than that?
While the exhibition presents a clear narrative—from initial sketches to the reproduction of some of the completed frescoes—Michelangelo’s process was far from linear. He frequently reworked ideas, abandoned compositions, and made late-stage changes. His evolving vision is evident in the drawings, showing how even a genius constantly revised and perfected his work.
In order to fully appreciate Michelangelo’s studies for his frescoes, one could argue that seeing the Sistine Chapel itself is essential. Since this is naturally not possible, you had to come up with some creative solutions. Could you explain what you did to allow visitors to experience Michelangelo’s completed works without having the original works themselves?
To bridge this gap, we’ve created an immersive experience. The exhibition space is designed with deep blue walls and gold accents to evoke the Sistine Chapel’s celestial atmosphere. Life-size reproductions of Michelangelo’s frescoes allow visitors to appreciate the scale and detail of his figures. We also have a fourth gallery dedicated to The Last Judgment, painted in red to contrast with the serene blue of the ceiling. The red evokes the theme of hell, which Michelangelo was deeply afraid of, as he depicted hell in The Last Judgment. This stark contrast between the celestial and the infernal creates a powerful, emotionally charged experience.
The exhibition culminates in a 3D video installation that brings Michelangelo’s illusionistic architecture to life, offering an unprecedented way to experience the Sistine Ceiling in all its grandeur.
Similarly, you prepared an immersive video, This Is Not My Art, for the exhibition. How did the idea for this come about? Could you explain the title?
The video reconstructs Michelangelo’s fictive architecture in 3D, demonstrating how he transformed a flat ceiling into a visually complex illusion. The title, This Is Not My Art, references Michelangelo’s famous response to Pope Julius II when he was first asked to paint the Sistine Ceiling—he replied, “This is not my art,” emphasizing that he considered himself a sculptor rather than a painter. However, the title carries a dual meaning. It is also a personal statement: while the video is my original artistic work, it is also a recreation of Michelangelo’s masterpiece using contemporary means. In this sense, it’s also a way of saying, “This is not my art,” but his.
One of the things you propose with this exhibition is that Michelangelo’s depiction of God in The Creation of Adam is connected to a self-portrait by the artist, a theory you’ve posited in earlier publications. How did you come to this conclusion, and what do you think the reception of this theory by the general public will be?
I proposed the resemblance between Michelangelo’s self-portrait—where he depicts himself painting the Sistine Ceiling—and his portrayal of God in The Creation of Adam as a suggestion or even a curiosity. It could be a coincidence, an unconscious choice, or a more intentional statement, implying that Michelangelo saw himself as both creator and mortal, blurring the line between artist and divinity. After all, his contemporaries revered him as “Il Divino”—the divine one. Presenting these images side by side allows visitors to explore this theory and draw their own conclusions.
Michelangelo is not the only name to appear among the objects. A portrait of Michelangelo by Giuliano Bugiardini is included, as well as correspondence between Michelangelo and painter Francesco Granacci. Could you provide some details on these two artists who were his contemporaries and if they had any influence on Michelangelo’s own life and works?
Giuliano Bugiardini, a friend of Michelangelo, painted a unique portrait of him wearing a turban, offering a rare depiction of his appearance at around the age of 47-48, between the completion of the Sistine Ceiling and the start of The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. Francesco Granacci was a lifelong friend and collaborator. His letter, featured in the exhibition, reveals how he recruited assistants for Michelangelo’s Sistine project. Both friends played a role in supporting Michelangelo during the early stages of the ceiling’s decoration, providing valuable insight into his personal and professional relationships.
Finally, what is your all-time favorite artwork by Michelangelo?
Very interesting question. I’ve been interviewed about Michelangelo many times, but this simple question has never been asked, and to be honest, I’ve never really thought about it. It’s difficult to choose, but the Sistine Ceiling remains unparalleled. Beyond its technical mastery, it represents Michelangelo’s ability to merge architecture, painting, and storytelling into a unified vision. The ceiling is not just an artwork—it’s an immersive experience that continues to inspire generations.
Are there any other major projects for you on the horizon?
Yes, I am currently working on an important project on Renaissance architecture. I am also exploring the intersection between art and science, which is the foundation of my teaching at William & Mary. I believe this connection is not just the future of my work but a crucial path forward for all of us.
