MICHELANGELO & SEBASTIANO explores the extraordinary artistic and personal relationship between two great Renaissance masters, Michelangelo (1475–1564) and Sebastiano del Piombo (1485–1547). In a creative exchange that spanned three decades, Michelangelo and Sebastiano collaborated on several works, including the nocturnal Pietà for the church of San Francesco in Viterbo, the monumental Raising of Lazarus for the Cathedral of Narbonne, and the Borgherini Chapel in the Roman church of San Pietro in Montorio.

Matthias Wivel situates the artists in the dramatic context of their time, revealing the atmosphere of intense artistic rivalry that pervaded the papal court, the political turmoil that provided a backdrop to their endeavours, and the theological debates within the Roman Church that underpinned their depictions of religious subjects. The book also brings the austerely beautiful work of Sebastiano to a new audience, offering a reappraisal of this less famous but most accomplished artist.