Giorgio Vasari: The “Lives of the Artists” as an Object and Methodological Perspective of Current Art Historical Research

The fifth centenary of the birth of Giorgio Vasari (1511–1574), one of the precursors of modern art history, calls for a reconsideration of aspects of his oeuvre, from his – often underestimated and therefore little studied – role as one of the most successful and productive painters and architects of his generation, to his more famous literary work, The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects. This offers both new approaches for the history of science of our own discipline as well as intensified methodological reflection.