Awards

• Short-listed for BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2011
• Shortlisted for BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2011.

Overview

For four hundred years Caravaggio's (1571-1610) staggering artistic achievements have thrilled viewers, yet his volatile personal trajectory-the murder of Ranuccio Tomasini, the doubt surrounding Caravaggio's sexuality, the chain of events that began with his imprisonment on Malta and ended with his premature death-has long confounded historians. In a bravura performance, Andrew Graham-Dixon delves into the original Italian sources, presenting fresh details about Caravaggio's sex life, his many crimes and public brawls, and the most convincing account yet published of the painter's tragic death at the age of thirty-eight. With illuminating readings of Caravaggio's infamous religious paintings, which often depict prostitutes and poor people, Graham-Dixon immerses readers in the world of Italy at the height of the Counter-Reformation and creates a masterful profile of the mercurial painter's life and work.

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9780393081497

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Reviews

Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane reads like a historical-swashbuckler-cum-detective-story while also providing an up-to-date introduction to some of the most admired paintings in Western art. --Michael Dirda (09/08/2011)

Graham-Dixon combed the criminal records of the era to glean extraordinary details about the artist s run-ins with the law. He skillfully evokes the social and religious context of turn-of-the-17th-century Italy. --Ann Levin

A thrilling lesson in the art of seeing....The book's rigor and integrity are obvious. I trusted every word and was sorry to turn the final page.--Peter Carey, author of Parrot and Olivier in America

Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane gave me immense pleasure and provided constant delight. It is a thrilling lesson in the art of seeing, a sensual exploration of the shadows of Caravaggio's sometimes violent but always Christian world, a detective story with a highly satisfying ending. Andrew Graham-Dixon's ability to have a reader see a painting through written language is a rare and precious gift. The book's rigor and integrity are obvious. I trusted every word and was sorry to turn the final page.--Peter Carey, author of Parrot and Olivier in America

Caravaggio has rarely been seen in such depth and such relief as in this marvellous biography. --Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum

Andrew Graham-Dixon brings the bad-boy genius of the 17th century to life as vividly as if he were one of today's pop stars. His book is scholarly, perceptive, and very well written.--John Richardson, author of A Life of Picasso

Andrew Graham-Dixon is the most gifted art critic of his generation. --Robert Hughes, former art critic of Time Magazine and author of The Shock of the New

Author Information

Andrew Graham-Dixon is a prominent writer, television host, and historian. He has written a number of acclaimed books and has won the Hawthornden Prize, Britain’s top prize for writing about art. Considered “the most gifted art critic of his generation” (Robert Hughes), Graham-Dixon researched Caravaggio’s life for more than ten years.

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