Artnet News rounds up recent headlines involving Renaissance master Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni as institutions prepare to celebrate his 550th birthday in 2025. The article highlights three stories: a scene in HBO's *The White Lotus* season three finale that echoes Michelangelo's *Pietà*; the ongoing scholarly debate over whether Michelangelo himself forged the ancient sculpture *Laocoön and His Sons*; and the restoration of Michelangelo's family tomb at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence ahead of his birthday.
This article matters because it demonstrates Michelangelo's enduring cultural relevance more than 460 years after his death, showing how his work continues to inspire contemporary media, provoke art-historical controversy, and drive institutional programming. The 550th birthday celebrations and the persistent debates around his oeuvre underscore his status as a foundational figure in Western art history, whose influence still shapes both popular culture and academic discourse.