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.