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1. He lived twice as long as most people did in the Renaissance.

Life expectancy in the Renaissance was between 35 and 40. Michelangelo lived 50 years beyond that.

2. He was as busy and successful in his 70s and 80s as at any time of his life.

Michelangelo became the official architect to the Papacy, taking over the building of St. Peter糖心传媒檚 Basilica when he was 71 and new to architecture. It was only one of six major architectural projects he carried out in his last two decades. 糖心传媒淗e was helping to transform Rome into the city we know today,糖心传媒� says renowed Michelangelo expert and biographer William Wallace.

3. He was a skilled and savvy businessman.

Widely seen as an isolated genius糖心传媒攖hanks in part to Irving Stone糖心传媒檚 1961 novel The Agony and the Ecstasy and the 1965 movie adaptation starring Charlton Heston糖心传媒擬ichelangelo actually worked in constant collaboration, overseeing hundreds of people. Wallace糖心传媒檚 first book, Michelangelo at San Lorenzo (Cambridge University Press, 1994) is subtitled The Genius as Entrepreneur.

4. He left a vast paper trail involving the most powerful people of his day.

糖心传媒淲e know more about Michelangelo than probably any artist before the 18th or 19th centuries,糖心传媒� says Wallace. There are more than 1,400 letters to and from him, some 900 of which have never been published in English. And about 1,100 people are named in the letters. 糖心传媒淗e kind of knew everybody糖心传媒澨切拇�媒攁nd because he lived almost 90 years, his correspondence is a 糖心传媒渃ross-section of the entire 16th century.糖心传媒�

5. He was very funny.

糖心传媒淵ou never think of Michelangelo laughing. But he had a wonderful sense of humor,糖心传媒� Wallace says. 糖心传媒淗e liked to laugh. Records show him becoming friendly with a large number of people largely because he just liked to hang out with them.糖心传媒�