- Behind the scenes of one of the most important restorations in recent years - that of the Sistine Chapel, told by Gianluigi Colalucci, the restorer
- Historical photographs show the restorers at work on Michelangelo's painting
The restoration of the Sistine Chapel - a singular experience that lasted fourteen years. Michelangelo and I is the story of the restoration, told by the restorer himself; from the first small cleaning test, to the difficult decisions when cleaning Adam's Eye or the Head of God. In this book, Gianluigi Colalucci reveals not only the burden he felt under the weight of the enormous responsibility of his task, but also the fun involved behind the scenes. He reveals the stories that animated this historic restoration in which many people of the highest level - artists, scholars, writers, actors, musicians and even Her Majesty the Queen of England - visited him high up on the scaffolding during his work.
Contents: I Hands; II The Postage Stamp; III The Decision; IV An Apparition; V The Renewal; VI The Lunettes; VII The Cleaning; VIII Wethersfield; IX The Controversy; X Zechariah; XI The First Discovery; XII The First Brushstrokes; XIII Fresco; XIV Adam; XV The Spirit of the Restoration; XVI Encounters; XVII Restoration outside Italy; XVIII The Painting; XIX The Work; XX The Completion of the Ceiling; XXI The Last Judgement; XXII Christ in Judgement; XXIII Some Considerations; XIV Three Dates.