The Ugly Renaissance

Offers a gritty counterpoint to the idealized view of the Renaissance (roughly 1300–1600). Lee argues that the era’s celebrated art and humanism were deeply intertwined with a darker underbelly of moral corruption, violence, and inequality, particularly in Italy.

The book explores the contradictions of Renaissance society: while artists like Michelangelo and patrons like the Medici produced masterpieces, they operated in a world rife with greed, sexual misconduct, and political intrigue. Lee highlights the lives of key figures—such as the debauched Pope Alexander VI, the violent condottiero Sigismondo Malatesta, and the manipulative diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli—revealing their flaws alongside their achievements. It delves into the stark social divides, where the elite’s opulence contrasted with widespread poverty, disease, and exploitation, including the mistreatment of women, children, and marginalized groups like Jews.

Art itself often reflected this duality, with religious works masking the era’s immorality. Lee also examines the brutal realities of warfare, the corruption of the Church, and the hypocrisy of humanist ideals. Through vivid anecdotes and archival evidence, the book paints a raw, unfiltered portrait of the Renaissance, showing how its beauty emerged from a deeply flawed and often ugly society.