The Ugly Renaissance

Sex, Greed, Violence and Depravity in an Age of Beauty

By: Alexander Lee

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

A fascinating and counterintuitive portrait of the sordid, hidden world behind the dazzling artwork of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and more

Renowned as a period of cultural rebirth and artistic innovation, the Renaissance is cloaked in a unique aura of beauty and brilliance. Its very name conjures up awe-inspiring images of an age of lofty ideals in which life imitated the fantastic artworks for which it has become famous. But behind the vast explosion of new art and culture lurked a seamy, vicious world of power politics, perversity, and corruption that has more in common with the present day than anyone dares to admit.

In this lively and meticulously researched portrait, Renaissance scholar Alexander Lee illuminates the dark and titillating contradictions that were hidden beneath the surface of the period’s best-known artworks. Rife with tales of scheming bankers, greedy politicians, sex-crazed priests, bloody rivalries, vicious intolerance, rampant disease, and lives of extravagance and excess, this gripping exploration of the underbelly of Renaissance Italy shows that, far from being the product of high-minded ideals, the sublime monuments of the Renaissance were created by flawed and tormented artists who lived in an ever-expanding world of inequality, dark sexuality, bigotry, and hatred.

The Ugly Renaissance is a delightfully debauched journey through the surprising contradictions of Italy’s past and shows that were it not for the profusion of depravity and degradation, history’s greatest masterpieces might never have come into being.

Includes a bonus PDF of art and images referenced in the audiobook

Critic reviews

Lee...lays bare the base tendencies and avaricious impulses that undergirded much of the Renaissance's artistic splendor.... Focusing progressively on the lived experiences of the period's artists, the designs of their patrons and the broader political tendencies reshaping the continent, Lee provides an entertaining frolic buttressed by serious scholarship.... An illuminating look at how the flowering of human imagination celebrated in the Renaissance was fertilized by the excesses of human nature.

-- Kirkus Reviews

Informative but unfortunately listens like a college textbook

Bought this title because I have always enjoyed history. It is touted as a fresh and exciting take on the Renaissance. While it does contain a wealth of details, it just listens like a college textbook. Not sure if it’s the narration or the writing, but I hate to say — I struggled to finish it and I am a history enthusiast. Would only recommend it if you have minimal knowledge of Renaissance and want to educate yourself.

Realistic look at the Renaissance

Well narrated. The epilogue would be better placed as chapter one. A good read overall.

Quite disappointing

As the book progresses it is increasingly shaped by the author’s leftist politics. Things reach a crescendo at the end when the author claims that Renaissance artists’ failure to depict the native peoples of Africa and the New World was evidence of deepest bigotry. Pass this one by.

Incredible Depth and Insight

Very important to note: this overview isn't for beginners. It's assumed going in that the reader knows the important names of the time, as the goal here is to weave these names together into a larger tapestry. If you're not up on your who's who of Renaissance Italy, Wiki will likely be your friend. And even if you are, it might be worth having it on standby every now and again. Even so, names aren't thrown at you without some context. It's just helpful to know who these people are other than to say "this one's a pope, that one's a warlord," and so on. The more you already know about the basics, the better positioned you'll be for getting the most out of what this book has to offer.

That said, this is a wonderful overview of the Italian Renaissance and all of the terrible things that defined it. The scope of this is astounding. It intertwines the worlds of art, merchant banking, politics, religion, and warfare so as to present everything as an inseparable whole. Add in the obligatory additions of disease, cultural differences, and taboos of every kind, and the end result is an amazingly insightful book. If those classic artworks could talk, what stories they could tell.

Seems a bit Marxist

Not sure I trust much of what was in this book given that by the end the author gives himself away as someone who has absorbed critical theory and found that he liked it.