A man within a woman:

Vittoria Colonna and Michelangelo’s Friendship

FREE for Director’s Circle Members & Telfair Members | Non-members: $20

This lecture by Dr. Emily Fenichel explores the special connection formed between Michelangelo and the noble widow and poet Vittoria Colonna. After meeting in Rome during the 1530s, Michelangelo and Colonna began to form a bond that developed through a nearly decade-long exchange of letters, poems, and drawings. Michelangelo's respect and devotion to Colonna is summed up in a poem he wrote, referring to her as “A man within a woman, even more a god." Their friendship continued until Colonna's death in 1547.

The exhibition will be open until the lecture begins at 6pm. Registration is strongly recommended. 

Dr. Emily Fenichel is Associate Professor of Art History at Florida Atlantic University. She is the author of Michelangelo’s Art of Devotion in the Age of Reform, which was published by Cambridge University Press in 2023. She has also published articles on various aspects of Michelangelo’s life and career, from the Pietà to the artist’s portrait medal. Currently, she is researching and writing her second book on Michelangelo’s images of women.