Michelangelo hated painting the Sistine Chapel – and never aspired to be a painter to begin with

A red chalk sketch for the Sistine ceiling fetched an eye-popping sum at auction, reflecting the artist’s lifelong belief that drawing and design – not painting – were the wellspring of all great art.

By: Anna Swartwood House, University of South Carolina, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 23, 2026

Words: 1,359

Last Updated: 10 hours, 1 minute ago

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By Anna Swartwood House, University of South Carolina

When a 5-inch-by-4-inch red chalk drawing of a woman’s foot by Michelangelo sold at auction for US$27.2 million on Feb. 5, 2026, it blew past the $1.5 million to $2 million it was expected to receive.

Experts believe it to be a study for the figure of the Libyan Sibyl, a female prophet who appears on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Michelangelo painted …

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