Michelangelo was a person.
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni ( [ mikeˈlandʒelo di lodoˈviːko ˌbwɔnarˈrɔːti siˈmoːni ] ; 6 March 1475 -- 18 February 1564 ) was a Florentine sculptor , painter , architect , and poet of the High Renaissance who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art . Despite making few forays beyond the arts , his versatility in the disciplines he took up was of such a high order that he is often considered a contender for the title of the archetypal Renaissance man , along with his rival and fellow Florentine Medici client , Leonardo da Vinci . He sculpted two of his best-known works , the Pietà and David , before the age of thirty .