BOOKS
BOOKS
Michelangelo at Midlife
and Rick Steves books & TV
Travel, history, music, poetry, the arts, personal life events, humor, and the shared universe of Big Ideas… all find expression in Gene Openshaw’s work.
His most recent book, which combines them all, is…
MICHELANGELO AT MIDLIFE: CHASING THE TOMB OF JULIUS II
A traveler’s quest for Michelangelo’s most troubled masterpiece.
FROM FLORENCE TO PARIS TO ROME, a man crisscrosses Europe in search of Michelangelo’s most notorious work: the Tomb of Pope Julius II. Along the way, he teams up with an intriguing Italian woman who opens his eyes to the artist’s troubled inner life and the personal struggle they all share—an acute midlife crisis…
Michelangelo at Midlife is typical of Gene’s work: ambitious, operatic, and hard to classify. It’s a hybrid, weaving two stories together, one fictional, one nonfiction. “Michelangelo’s story wrapped in a 21st century novel,” as one reviewer put it. At your local bookstore, you may find it variously shelved under “Biography,” “Art,” “Travel Literature,” or just plain “Fiction.”
The core of the book is Michelangelo’s story—his 40-year struggle to complete what he hoped would be his magnum opus. Incredibly, this is the only non-scholarly book (that is, “readable”) about the much-talked-about but little-known Tomb of Julius II.
But that’s just the start. Gene himself described how the book evolved as he wrote it: “It began as a purely nonfiction account. But I wanted it to have a sense of ‘place,’ so I added a modern traveler following in Michelangelo’s actual footsteps. Next, that traveler became fictional, to add a dramatic layer. Then I realized the traveler—though highly fictionalized—was kind of like me, and, suddenly, whoa! this is my story!”
The book kept growing. An array of colorful graphics (by Dave Hoerlein) and elegant design (by Sandra Hundacker) transformed the book from a story of words to one also told visually. Taken together, all those elements aim for an emotional impact that’s greater than the sum of the parts. With its evocative travelogue, colorful images, and history detective story, Michelangelo at Midlife is a fast read for lovers of the arts with a romantic streak.
“A delightful combination of art history and light drama… told with intelligence… conveyed with impressive emotional poignancy… filled with humor and tinged with an ironic acknowledgement of the travails of life. This is an entertaining treat.” -- Kirkus Reviews
“Like a trip to Italy: edifying, informative, and unpredictable.” -- BookLife Reviews
Michelangelo at Midlife is available wherever you get your books—in print, e-book, or audiobook. Consider supporting your local brick-and-mortar bookstore (rather than Amazon) by ordering it directly from them.
RICK STEVES BOOKS
Gene and travel guru Rick Steves met in 7th grade and have been collaborating off and on ever since.
Together they’ve written numerous books and TV shows, with Gene specializing in making Europe’s history, art, and culture accessible to the traveler. Their guidebooks (to Paris, Rome, London, etc.) are some of the best-selling in the English language. The full-color art book “Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces” is a breezy overview of Western art with full-color, full-page illustrations. “Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler” is still going strong after four decades.
For PBS TV, Rick and Gene have co-authored a number of specials, such as “Fascism in Europe,” and the ambitious six-hour documentary covering the entire history of the “Art of Europe.” Gene has also produced dozens of audio tours, where Rick guides travelers through historic sites.
The adventures of Rick and Gene traveling across Asia are documented in Rick’s published journal, “On the Hippie Trail.” With Gene as the editor, the book was a New York Times Bestseller and a 2025 honoree by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. In 2026, the paperback was released, also hitting the NYT Bestseller list.
MICHELANGELO NEWS (Nov 1-8)
The Sistine Saga: Epilogue
In November, 1512, having finished the Sistine Ceiling, Michelangelo was showered with overwhelming praise.
Just 37, he’d now produced three of the greatest masterpieces of Western civilization: the incredibly moving Pieta, the monumental David, and now the astonishingly ambitious Sistine Ceiling.
Little did Michelangelo realize, but that moment would be the peak of his acclaim.
In fact, the Sistine Ceiling would be one of the last “major” works Michelangelo would ever complete in his long life.
The casual fan of Michelangelo would be hard pressed to name a single thing Michelangelo did in his later years (with the very notable exception of the Last Judgment).
For the next 50-plus years, he would labor—certainly not in obscurity—but without the same level of acknowledgment or the personal satisfaction that comes with completion.
Much of his time was spent laboring over the Tomb of Julius II—that ambitious project that took 40 years and became a personal “tragedy.”
Nevertheless, Michelangelo’s later years did produce numerous (if unfinished) masterpieces that would shape the future of art. There was the Last Judgment, of course. His Prisoner statues with their twisting poses inspired the restless energy and larger-than-life scale of Baroque. And his massive dome for St. Peter’s Basilica, though unfinished at his death, was certainly his biggest creation.
Michelangelo’s post-Sistine years embody what was perhaps his greatest contribution to the world of art—his unending passion for taking on new challenges, constantly exploring and innovating.
From the Sistine to the Prisoners, from the Tomb to the dome, Michelangelo inspired generations of artists to dream big.
And with that, we conclude the Sistine Saga. What’s next week? Um, stay tuned.