The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and ArchitectsBy: Giorgio Vasari Series: Modern Library Classics A painter and architect in his own right, Giorgio Vasari (1511 74) achieved immortality for this book on the lives of his fellow Renaissance artists, first published in Florence in 1550. Although he based his work on a long tradition of biographical writing, Vasari infused these literary portraits with a decidedly modern form of critical judgment. The result is a work that remains to this day the