Top Artists and Must-See Art in Florence, Italy

Great art, in particular art from the Renaissance, is one of the chief reasons that tourists visit Florence. Some of the most famous artists in history and some of the art world's greatest masterpieces are located in Florence. If you're visiting Florence for art, these are the artists that you don't want to miss.

01 of 07

Michelangelo

The great artist Michelangelo Buonarotti is well represented in Florence, with works in the Bargello and the Galleria dell'Accademia. Michelangelo's most famous masterpiece, his statue of David, is located in the Accademia, with copies of the original in front of the Palazzo Vecchio as well as in Piazzale Michelangelo, a large square that provides a panorama of the city.

02 of 07

Sandro Botticelli

Depicts the goddess Venus, having emerged from the sea as a fully grown woman, arriving at the sea-shore. The seashell she stands on was a symbol in classical antiquity for a woman's vulva. Thought to be based in part on the Venus de' Medici, an ancient Greek marble sculpture of Aphrodite. — Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

One of the most famous paintings from the Renaissance – "The Birth of Venus", which depicts a beautiful girl with long, flowing hair floating away on a clamshell – was painted by Sandro Botticelli. This painting and many more are located in the Botticelli Room of the Uffizi Gallery.

03 of 07

Fra Angelico

Scenes from the Life of Christ, panel three from the Silver Treasury of Santissima Annunziata, c.1450-53 (tempera on panel) by Guido di Pietro (Fra Giovanni da Fiesole) (Fra Angelico il Beato) (1400-1455) Museo di San Marco dell'Angelico, Florence, Italy. — Leemage/Corbis/Getty Images

Florence's most famous monk is also one of its most beloved painters. Fra Angelico, also known by Fra Angelico da Fiesole or Beato Angelico, is best known for the many religious frescoes he painted on the walls of the monastery of San Marco, where he resided as a Dominican monk alongside Girolamo Savonarola.

04 of 07

Donatello

Organ balcony, best known as "cantoria" (singer's gallery) from the Duomo in Florence, Italy. Dismantled and partly destroyed in 1688; the upper frieze was remade by Gaetano Baccani in 1841. Marble, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. — Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

Art by the famous sculptor Donatello is featured in a number of famous attractions in Florence. Look for his bronze "David" in the Bargello, statues on the Campanile, and other sculptures in the churches of San Lorenzo and Orsanmichele. Donatello also assisted Lorenzo Ghiberti with the construction of the Baptistery doors (see below).

Continue to 5 of 7 below.

05 of 07

Lorenzo Ghiberti

Taken in Piazza Del Duomo Florence, Italy, of the East door of the Battistero di San Giovani (the Florence Baptistery, also known as the Baptistery of Saint John),by Lorenzo Ghiberti , and one of the oldest buildings in Florence, constructed between 1059 and 1128. Michelangelo referred to these Easy gates as 'porte del paradiso' (gates of paradise). — DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)/Getty Images

Sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti's artistry is on display on the north and east doors of the Baptistery, considered to be the oldest building in Florence. Check out the beautiful replicas of Ghiberti's bronze doors, particularly the panels on the east doors, also known as the "Gates of Paradise," then head to the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, the museum that houses many original artworks associated with Florence's Duomo, to see the real thing.

06 of 07

Filippo Brunelleschi

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy — TripSavvy / Christopher Larson

The symbol of Florence, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (aka il Duomo), is distinct for its soaring red brick dome visible from miles around. This amazing feat of engineering and artistic elegance is thanks to Filippo Brunelleschi. While Brunelleschi is best known for his dome, he also had a hand in the design of several other buildings in Florence, including the Basilicas of San Lorenzo and Santo Spirito.

07 of 07

Masaccio

To the average traveler, the name Masaccio may not mean much. But in the world of Florentine art, Masaccio is hailed as one of the first great painters of the Renaissance. Masaccio's most famed works are the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel, located in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine.

Leonardo da Vinci and Mona Lisa in Florence

Author Dianne Hales shares four historic sites connected with both Mona Lisa and Leonardo that you can visit in Florence.