Andrew Graham-Dixon, art critic. For 400 years Caravaggio's staggering artistic achievements have thrilled viewers, yet his volatile personal trajectory- the murder of Ranuccio Tommassoni, the doubt surrounding Caravaggio's sexuality, the chain of events that began with his imprisonment on Malta and ended with his premature death- has long confounded historians. Andrew Graham-Dixon delves into the original Italian sources, presenting fresh details about Caravaggio's life (1571-1610), his many crimes and public brawls, and the most convincing account yet published of the painter's tragic death at the age of thirty-eight. With illuminating readings of Caravaggio's infamous religious paintings, for which Caravaggio often used prostitutes and poor people as models, Graham-Dixon immerses listeners into the artist's world, during the height of the Counter-Reformation in Italy, and creates a masterful profile of the mercurial painter's life and work.