Published: November 22, 2024 -- Renaissance: The Blood and The Beauty explores the lives of three rival artists - Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael – who created seductively beautiful works of art during an age of violence and upheaval.

Featuring contributions from contemporary artists Antony Gormley, Alison Lapper, David LaChapelle, a host of experts and a star turn from Charles Dance as the older Michelangelo, this landmark three-part series, a co-commission between BBC Arts and PBS, reveals how some of history’s greatest works of art, from Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to Michelangelo’s David, emerged from an era of brutality and bloodshed.

All three artists were pushed to the heights of fame and artistic achievement by a combination of intense personal rivalry and bloody political upheaval. The greatest works of art in Western civilisation were forged in the crucible of northern Italy over a 50-year period at the end of the fifteenth century, by these three artists. Renaissance: The Blood and The Beauty examines how their achievements changed our understanding of art – and artists – forever.

Alistair Pegg, Commissioning Editor, BBC Arts says: “We’re delighted to offer a new perspective on the Renaissance, as this series explores how some of the most famous achievements in Western art emerged out of a dark time of war and political turmoil.”

Alexander Leith, Executive Producer, BBC Studios Specialist Factual, says: “The Renaissance is a pivotal moment in the history of art, and we’re thrilled to have been able to bring it to life in such an engaging way – and the tell the real story behind some of the Western world’s most familiar and celebrated artworks.”

The series takes us from the bloody Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478 to the unveiling of Michelangelo’s Last Judgement in 1541, a sixty-year period which was defined by religious upheaval, power struggles and political treachery. Five hundred years ago, Italy was a patchwork of duchies and independent city states, with ruling families vying for supremacy and locked in near-constant power struggles, and threatened by bigger and more powerful neighbouring empires. This is a society in flux: the New World had been discovered in 1492; the supremacy of the Papacy and the Catholic Church is under threat from Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. And yet, it is exactly this febrile atmosphere – this singular set of circumstances – that allows these artists to rise and flourish.

The narrative and emotional heart of the series is Michelangelo Buonarroti, whose long life spanned this extraordinary period. The series is framed by Michelangelo’s later years, as he looks back on his life and career, with his words based on his own writings and inspired by contemporary accounts.

Playful and irreverent, Michelangelo’s story is interwoven with those of Leonardo and Raphael, as he tells the tale of how these three men vied for work and glory, and negotiated the changing whims of a variety of difficult, dangerous and powerful patrons – their artworks bringing them ever-greater favour – or placing them in peril.

Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael all work and succeed, only through the patronage of powerful ruling families. For these families, art is a means of projecting power and artists themselves a form of currency. The right image affects your standing in the world, just as it does today. Michelangelo’s fortunes rise and fall: he wins favour and riches and extraordinary commissions, before risking it all by defying his patrons and choosing sides. In the end, his art, his value as an artist - the name Michelangelo - saves his life and secures his legacy.

Artists Antony Gormley, Alison Lapper and David LaChapelle share their insights and perspectives on this extraordinary moment in time, alongside art historian and internationally recognised authority on Michelangelo, William Wallace, author and Professor of Renaissance History Jerry Brotton, art historian, lecturer and broadcaster Leslie Primo, Leonardo da Vinci biographer Walter Isaacson, historian and podcaster Kate Lister, novelist, journalist and broadcaster Sarah Dunant, historian and author Jessica Wärnberg, art historian, lecturer and editor Ilaria Bernocchi, writer, director and actor Daphne Di Cinto, art historian and author Bette Talvacchia, Papal historian and author Father Michael Collins, and art historian Maria Loh.

“We’re attracted to the idea that humanity can accomplish things of such beauty and grandeur, in a time of war, devastation and mayhem. We all have a debt I think to Michelangelo and the artists of the Renaissance, because they showed us what they can do beyond the complexities of the world and the mess of politics. They showed us what is possible.” – William Wallace