Renaissance Rivals Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael Hit London in a Major Museum Show

Total auction sales of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s work have more than doubled between 2020 and and 2023.
— Read on news.artnet.com/art-world/renaissance-rivals-michelangelo-leonardo-raphael-london-2569418

Their relationships were laden with competition, as all were vying for commissions by powerful Florentine and Roman patrons. Michelangelo and Leonardo competed for the attention of the powerful Medici family, and after Raphael emerged on the scene he and Michelangelo fought for commissions from Pope Julius II. Michelangelo belittled the achievements of his younger rival after his early death, claiming, “everything he learned he learned from me.”

In “Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael,” the Royal Academy is showcasing some of the finest examples of Italian Renaissance drawing in the world. The exhibition has been organized in partnership with London’s National Gallery and the Royal Collection Trust, whose current exhibition “Drawing the Italian Renaissance” also features work by the three masters.