Before carving “David” or covering the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling in frescoes, Michelangelo Buonarroti painted “The Torment of Saint Anthony.” Created when he was either 12 or 13 years old, it is the Renaissance artist’s first painting — and the piece hangs on a wall at the Kimbell Art Museum of Fort Worth.
The prolific artist thought of himself primarily as a sculptor, and “The Torment of Saint Anthony” is one of four easel paintings by Michelangelo. The work is also the only Michelangelo painting in North or South America. Acquiring the painting was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Kimbell Art Museum Director Eric Lee said, recalling his trip to see the painting in 2009.
