A unique drawing by Michelangelo

Christie’s will be offering a fascinating piece of art at its auction in Paris on May 18th during the Maîtres anciens et du XIXe siècle. Tableaux, dessins, sculptures (Old Masters and 19th Century Art: Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures). A previously unknown, but now rediscovered, drawing from Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) depicting a nude young man surrounded by two figures is the artwork in subject for this article. The drawing, inspired by Italian Renaissance master Masaccio (1401-1428), is incredibly rare as it is probably the earliest nude study by Michelangelo as well as one of the extremely few artworks from the artist still in private hands. With this provenance, it is not surprising that Michelangelo’s A nude young man (after Masaccio) surrounded by two figures is estimated to fetch around $33 million US at the auction!