Renaissance Lives | 'Piero della Francesca and the Invention of the Artist'

Piero della Francesca and the Invention of the Artist - Machtelt Brüggen Israëls in conversation with Paul Taylor (Warburg Institute) and François Quiviger (Warburg Institute)

As one of the most innovative and enlightened painters of the early Italian Renaissance, Piero della Francesca brought space, luminosity and unparalleled subtlety to painting. In addition, Piero invented the role of the modern artist by becoming a traveller, a courtier, a geometrician, a patron and much else besides.

In this nuanced account of his life and art, Machtelt Brüggen Israëls reconstructs how Piero came of age. Successfully demystifying the persistent notion of Piero’s art as enigmatic, she reveals the simple and stunning intentions behind his work.

Renaissance Lives is a series of biographies published by Reaktion Books as well as a series of conversations discussing the ways in which individuals transmitted or changed the lives of traditions, ideas and images.

This event took place on 19 January 2023.