Dr. Ross King is a best-selling author of books on Italian and French art and history. Among his books are Brunelleschi’s Dome (2000), Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling (2002), and Leonardo and The Last Supper (2012). His study of the origins of French Impressionism, The Judgement of Paris, was published in 2006, and Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies in 2016. He is the co-author with Anja Grebe of Florence: The Paintings & Frescoes, 1250-1743 (2015), the most comprehensive book ever undertaken on the art of Florence. His current project is a two-volume history of Italy, The Shortest History of Ancient Rome and The Shortest History of Italy, covering some 3,000 years of history from Romulus and Remus to the present.

Ross serves on the Council of Academic Advisors for Friends of Florence, the fundraising charity ensuring the survival of Florence’s art and architectural treasures. He has participated in numerous Friends of Florence study tours throughout Italy, including in Rome, Assisi, and Milan. He is a regular participant in the Italian Renaissance seminars at the Aspen Institute, including programs on Giotto, St. Francis, and Dante. He also has appeared in a number of television documentaries, such as The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance (PBS, 2003); Raphael: A Mortal God (BBC, 2004); The Great Cathedral Mystery (Nova, 2014); Florence’s Invisible City (BBC, 2016); and, most recently, Ken Burns’s Leonardo da Vinci (2024).

Ross has lectured in many American museums, including the Smithsonian, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Frick Collection, and the National Gallery of Art.  

Language spoken: English