Born on March 6
Michelangelo's Birthday
Sculptor, painter, architect, poet.
Next: March 6, 2027
Where it comes from
Michelangelo Buonarroti was born on 6 March 1475 in Caprese, near Florence, where his father was the local magistrate, and this Story marks his birthday. Apprenticed as a boy to the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio, he lived for a time in the household of Lorenzo de' Medici.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but his work draws visitors every day of the year: the David at the Accademia in Florence, the Pietà in St Peter's and the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums. For the rest of us it is a fine day to look closely at a single work of art, or to pick up a pencil and draw a hand.
Did you know
Although the Sistine Chapel ceiling is his best-known work, Michelangelo thought of himself first of all as a sculptor.
Read the full story of Michelangelo's Birthday
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Pisces · February 19 – March 20 · Water sign
Dreamy and kind, with an artist's imagination.