Dürer, Albrecht (1471-1528)

He is the most famous artist of the German Renaissance. Famous throughout Europe before his thirtieth birthday thanks to the success of his series of woodcuts of the Apocalypse (1498), he had a decisive influence on 16th-century artists, both German and Netherlandish (especially Lucas van Leyden). He came to be admired by Italian masters such as Raphael Sanzio and Titian; he is also known to have been in contact with geniuses such as Leonardo da Vinci and Giovanni Bellini. His engravings were widely disseminated and inspired many later artists, including Spanish Baroque painting, the Nazarene movement of the 19th century and the German Expressionists of the early 20th century.