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The Genius in the Design: Bernini,Borromini,and the Rivalry That Transformed Rome
The rivalry between the brilliant seventeenth-century Italian architects Gianlorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini is the stuff of legend. Enormously talented and ambitious artists, they met as contemporaries in the building yards of St. Peter's in Rome, became the greatest architects of their era by designing some of the most beautiful buildings in the world, and ended their lives as bitter enemies. Engrossing and impeccably researched, full of dramatic tension and breathtaking insight, The Genius in the Design is the remarkable tale of how two extraordinary visionaries schemed and maneuvered to get the better of each other and, in the process, created the spectacular Roman cityscape of today.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
July 20, 2018
Let me say at the outset that I have a PhD in art history and I specialize in Roman art (of all periods), so I am very fluent with Bernini, one of my favorite artists, as well as Borromini. Thus, much of what I read in Morrissey's book I already knew, in particular when he discusses artworks and buildings. Perhaps someone who was less familiar with the material would have gotten more out of this book.
But the reason why I ultimately give this book two stars is because I disliked Morrissey's writing style. He lists a lot, especially opposites, and that got distracting and annoying. For example: "Borromini's cloister is a vigorous and original creation, simultaneously oversize and snug, precise and elastic, understated and overwhelming." I have no idea how the San Carlo cloister could be all those things at the same time, but alright, Morrissey.
I found his descriptions of artworks much too poetic for my taste; it seemed like he was trying too hard. There were also very few images and certainly no details. For someone who knows little about Baroque art, he/she would constantly have to look things up. His book is also full of endless quotes, whether from Filippo Baldinucci, who wrote a contemporary biography of Bernini, or endless art historians. I wanted to shake him and tell him that it's his job to put the majority of those quotes into his own words. It's clear that he's done a lot of research, but learn to paraphrase that. I also wonder what his qualifications are, i.e. does he have a degree in art history? But I suppose, who am I to criticize? He's gotten this book published that people are reading and I can't say that anyone is reading my books! So again, I think it comes down to my own personal writing style preference and I just didn't like Morrissey's.
Finally, I had a problem with the basic premise of his book: the rivalry between Bernini and Borromini. Over and over, Morrissey emphasized Bernini's successes and Borromini's failures. Doesn't seem like much of a rivalry to me. Borromini has always been the clear loser. After all, one cannot go to Rome and miss Bernini - the same cannot be said about Borromini.
But the reason why I ultimately give this book two stars is because I disliked Morrissey's writing style. He lists a lot, especially opposites, and that got distracting and annoying. For example: "Borromini's cloister is a vigorous and original creation, simultaneously oversize and snug, precise and elastic, understated and overwhelming." I have no idea how the San Carlo cloister could be all those things at the same time, but alright, Morrissey.
I found his descriptions of artworks much too poetic for my taste; it seemed like he was trying too hard. There were also very few images and certainly no details. For someone who knows little about Baroque art, he/she would constantly have to look things up. His book is also full of endless quotes, whether from Filippo Baldinucci, who wrote a contemporary biography of Bernini, or endless art historians. I wanted to shake him and tell him that it's his job to put the majority of those quotes into his own words. It's clear that he's done a lot of research, but learn to paraphrase that. I also wonder what his qualifications are, i.e. does he have a degree in art history? But I suppose, who am I to criticize? He's gotten this book published that people are reading and I can't say that anyone is reading my books! So again, I think it comes down to my own personal writing style preference and I just didn't like Morrissey's.
Finally, I had a problem with the basic premise of his book: the rivalry between Bernini and Borromini. Over and over, Morrissey emphasized Bernini's successes and Borromini's failures. Doesn't seem like much of a rivalry to me. Borromini has always been the clear loser. After all, one cannot go to Rome and miss Bernini - the same cannot be said about Borromini.
January 19, 2019
Giuro che mi ha fatto odiare Bernini.
July 7, 2015
When I was 18 I entered college to study architecture. Like almost all my classmates I revered the great modern architects, Sullivan, Wright, Mies, and Le Corbusier. Unlike my classmates I was also fascinated by history and this fascination and my love of architecture led to a journey of discovery. During that journey I developed a fondness for the symmetry, stability, and rhythms of Renaissance architecture. Then I found Borromini and Bernini and the sensuality and dynamism of their forms and I fell in love. In light of this I am probably not a good judge of the general appeal of this book. It is long on architectural descriptions and critically short on needed illustrations and photographs. A picture is worth a thousand words and a book on the work of any architect requires my illustration that verbalization. This is the one fault of this book otherwise it is an excellent treatment of the lives and works of these two incomparable artists.
March 23, 2023
Someone please get an editor to tell the author that more adjectives does not mean a better writing style.
December 20, 2020
i normally wouldn’t rate a book i had to read for uni, but this was actually pretty enjoyable so i might as well.
March 8, 2022
The battleground — 17th century Rome. The Vandals and Visigoths are long gone, the new contestants, two sculpting architects Gianlorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, are vying for the transformation of the city, the love of the people, the blessing of the Pope(s) , everlasting beauty and immortality.
The weapons are frescoes, facades, fountains, columns, domes, baldacchinos, balustrades, mosaics, altars, atriums, marble and a flowing river.
The methods — Rivalry passion enterprise energy animosity virtuosity talent tragedy scandal suicide murder intrigue jealousy envy betrayal love scheming and genius
I was given this book by a history of architecture professor as he uses it in his classes. I thought it certainly is a great way to read about how this art is created without being a stuffy textbook. It could also double as a tour guide aid to Rome, though you may feel compelled to spend a lot more time gazing at it all.
While I admire architecture, I’d had not really thought of a building like a painting, that is, there is a story being told, one beneath the surface of what is presented as the subject. After reading this tale, I’ll never look at a building the same again !
The weapons are frescoes, facades, fountains, columns, domes, baldacchinos, balustrades, mosaics, altars, atriums, marble and a flowing river.
The methods — Rivalry passion enterprise energy animosity virtuosity talent tragedy scandal suicide murder intrigue jealousy envy betrayal love scheming and genius
I was given this book by a history of architecture professor as he uses it in his classes. I thought it certainly is a great way to read about how this art is created without being a stuffy textbook. It could also double as a tour guide aid to Rome, though you may feel compelled to spend a lot more time gazing at it all.
While I admire architecture, I’d had not really thought of a building like a painting, that is, there is a story being told, one beneath the surface of what is presented as the subject. After reading this tale, I’ll never look at a building the same again !
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May 10, 2015I'm not doing well with finding a biography of Bernini. This doesn't even try to be that -- this is an account of the rivalry between Bernini and Borromini, with descriptions of their major work. I enjoyed it, but I'd have enjoyed it more if Morrisey and I had been more in agreement about the work of Bernini's I've seen.
Borromini is an interesting character -- he has the Conal Cearnach problem "the second greatest warrior in all of Ireland", only in his case the second greatest architect in Rome.
Borromini is an interesting character -- he has the Conal Cearnach problem "the second greatest warrior in all of Ireland", only in his case the second greatest architect in Rome.
October 15, 2018
This book deserved much more exposure than it gets now.
It's a story about art and history, about competition and envy and also about knowing the right people at the right time and finding the right patrons and popes to stand in your favor.
It's written with a perfect balance of clearance and seriousness, and with that special touch of not wanting to put the book down between the chapters.
It also makes you want to visit all of those chapels and places in Rome and see for yourself the works of art discussed in the book.
I enjoyed it very much.
It's a story about art and history, about competition and envy and also about knowing the right people at the right time and finding the right patrons and popes to stand in your favor.
It's written with a perfect balance of clearance and seriousness, and with that special touch of not wanting to put the book down between the chapters.
It also makes you want to visit all of those chapels and places in Rome and see for yourself the works of art discussed in the book.
I enjoyed it very much.
February 14, 2011
Being the architecture fanatic that I am, I LOVED this book. It carried me to post-Renaissance Rome and made me wish I was in Italy, admiring all of the beautiful, intricate, and well-thought out buildings created by the architectural geniuses of Borromini and Bernini. The only downside to this book was the lack of photographs, architectural floor plans, sections, etc.-essentially all of the visuals-that seem necessary when describing breathtaking buildings. Otherwise, I loved this book.
September 22, 2014
This non-fiction book read as easily and gracefully as a fiction story. It puts you right into 17th century Rome and hooks you right from the beginning. If you have any interest in the artists or the time period, it's a fascinating read.
August 17, 2009
A masterpiece in story telling dealing with the culture of Rome and the rivalry between Bernini and Borromini. Should re-read this one.
August 17, 2024
Interesująca, dobrze opracowana historia rywalizacji między dwoma znakomitymi architektami barokowego Rzymu. Jedyny, choć spory minus, to moim zdaniem zdecydowanie za mało zdjęć prac, o których opowiada autor.
April 1, 2010
In this book Morrisey manages to capture the high stakes of artistic competition in 17th century Rome, a time when popes like Urban VIII and Alexander VI believed that their greatest legacy to the church would be their artistic patronage and were willing to bankrupt the Papacy to prove it. They and their rich families showered successful artists with enough money and commissions to make them among the richest men in the city, while those artists who lost out in their panel-judged competitions (they had them even then!) often went poor and begging.
For instance, Pope Urban basically declared that Gianlorenzo Bernini was to be the next Michelangelo, and made an explicit goal of fostering his career by giving him an ever-growing series of appointments to construct churches or family palazzos so that he could eventually take on the role of architect of Saint Peter’s. When he arrived at that position he managed to fulfill Urban’s dreams by building the famous Baldicchino in the nave and then constructing St. Peter’s Square, one of the greatest public spaces in the world. Urban paid him hundreds of thousands of scudi for his troubles. (The pope also encouraged Bernini to marry and father children because he “desired to make him… immortal.”)
Francesco Borromini was Bernini’s former apprentice and most prominent rival, and, although now famous as the architect of numerous churches such as San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, he spent much of his life scrambling for small commissions, always on the verge of poverty, and after a final dismissal from one church he literally fell on his sword (yet managed to live long enough to dictate a graphic description of his own suicide).
With such high stakes it’s no surprise that these artists were fairly high strung. When one of Bernini’s mistresses (who was already married) began an affair with his brother, Bernini sent a servant down to attack her face with a razor and then assaulted his own brother with a sword. (This being an understanding era, he suffered a small fine.) Borromini was also morbidly aggressive. When a young man defaced one of his sculptures on a church façade, he had his workmen beat the man to death. Both alsoworked constantly to undermine the other. Bernini denounced Borromini’s northern style churches as “Gothic” and took credit for some of the work Borromini did while working under him, while Borromini claimed that Bernini’s poor engineering led one of St. Peter’s campaniles to collapse, which almost ended Bernini’s career.
The book is filled with great stories of their competition. My main complaint, though, is that with such detailed descriptions of so many of their buildings and sculptures, the book could have benefited from more actual photographs, or at least a glossy center section. I found myself constantly running to the internet to find out what all these “masterpieces” really looked like.
I was happy to learn, however, that my favorite sculpture of all time, Bernini’s The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, was viewed as explicitly sexual even in his own time. One politician said, “If this is Divine Love, I know all about it.”
For instance, Pope Urban basically declared that Gianlorenzo Bernini was to be the next Michelangelo, and made an explicit goal of fostering his career by giving him an ever-growing series of appointments to construct churches or family palazzos so that he could eventually take on the role of architect of Saint Peter’s. When he arrived at that position he managed to fulfill Urban’s dreams by building the famous Baldicchino in the nave and then constructing St. Peter’s Square, one of the greatest public spaces in the world. Urban paid him hundreds of thousands of scudi for his troubles. (The pope also encouraged Bernini to marry and father children because he “desired to make him… immortal.”)
Francesco Borromini was Bernini’s former apprentice and most prominent rival, and, although now famous as the architect of numerous churches such as San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, he spent much of his life scrambling for small commissions, always on the verge of poverty, and after a final dismissal from one church he literally fell on his sword (yet managed to live long enough to dictate a graphic description of his own suicide).
With such high stakes it’s no surprise that these artists were fairly high strung. When one of Bernini’s mistresses (who was already married) began an affair with his brother, Bernini sent a servant down to attack her face with a razor and then assaulted his own brother with a sword. (This being an understanding era, he suffered a small fine.) Borromini was also morbidly aggressive. When a young man defaced one of his sculptures on a church façade, he had his workmen beat the man to death. Both alsoworked constantly to undermine the other. Bernini denounced Borromini’s northern style churches as “Gothic” and took credit for some of the work Borromini did while working under him, while Borromini claimed that Bernini’s poor engineering led one of St. Peter’s campaniles to collapse, which almost ended Bernini’s career.
The book is filled with great stories of their competition. My main complaint, though, is that with such detailed descriptions of so many of their buildings and sculptures, the book could have benefited from more actual photographs, or at least a glossy center section. I found myself constantly running to the internet to find out what all these “masterpieces” really looked like.
I was happy to learn, however, that my favorite sculpture of all time, Bernini’s The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, was viewed as explicitly sexual even in his own time. One politician said, “If this is Divine Love, I know all about it.”
April 25, 2011
I think this book advertises itself inaccurately. It repeatedly claims to be the story of Bernini's and Borromini's rivalry, but it really just dissects and reviews individual pieces of sculpture and architecture. After reading half of the book (in which I heavily relied on my old art history book for images and further information on the artists and their work), I still haven't learned anything about their relationship. This book assumes you have an architect's vocabulary, and will not teach you if you don't already know. While it is all incredibly interesting from an architectural point of view, I was disappointed in my expectation to find a story in all this.
October 8, 2009
Doing my usual obsessive reading about a city before I visit (months in advance - I'll be going to Rome in March), I thought this would be a gas. I'm interested in Baroque architecture/sculpture and the outsized personalities who made it - but give me a break . . . . this book was way too detail oriented about every single church these guys built. Some juicy stuff about Borromini's involvement in a worker's death; Bernini's uncle (or was it brother?) Luigi sodomizing a little boy while he was supposed to be working, etc. Not enough to bring the city and these two geniuses to life for me.
November 19, 2019
Pericoloso: infarcito di errori, date assurde e scambi di nomi, per di più fondato su fonti bibliografiche inattendibili. Peccato, perché monografie sul tema non se ne trovano tante in giro.
Occasione sprecata.
Occasione sprecata.
July 29, 2025
Lo sapevo che leggere questo libro mi avrebbe messo il magone: i luoghi che adoro, che per me sono pieni di ricordi, che hanno accompagnato gli anni più spensierati della mia vita, che ho fotografato mille volte.. Ho scoperto e letto questo libro decisamente nel momento sbagliato! Ad ogni pagina avrei voluto essere lì, a guardare quello che era descritto, a scrutare ogni minuzia, a “leggere” quello che Bernini e Borromini hanno “scritto” a Roma, contribuendo moltissimo a farla diventare quello che è oggi: la città più bella del mondo.
Il libro ha un solo difetto: poche, pochissime illustrazioni, pochissime foto delle opere citate, troppo spesso dovevo chiedere aiuto all’amico Google, fastidiosissimo durante una lettura. Per il resto è un libro bellissimo: narra la rivalità tra questi due giganti, li delinea caratterialmente e artisticamente, ne confronta le opere e i temperamenti, decisamente diversi.. e lo fa come fosse un romanzo, davvero bello!
“Bernini stupiva lasciando che il talento sgorgasse dal cuore; Borromini, invece, sistemando e controllando le meraviglie dell’ infinito. Bernini, in cuor suo, era uno scultore che manipolava lo spazio, Borromini era un architetto che lo scolpiva.”
Dopo questo libro, se possibile, amo Roma ancora più di prima!
Il libro ha un solo difetto: poche, pochissime illustrazioni, pochissime foto delle opere citate, troppo spesso dovevo chiedere aiuto all’amico Google, fastidiosissimo durante una lettura. Per il resto è un libro bellissimo: narra la rivalità tra questi due giganti, li delinea caratterialmente e artisticamente, ne confronta le opere e i temperamenti, decisamente diversi.. e lo fa come fosse un romanzo, davvero bello!
“Bernini stupiva lasciando che il talento sgorgasse dal cuore; Borromini, invece, sistemando e controllando le meraviglie dell’ infinito. Bernini, in cuor suo, era uno scultore che manipolava lo spazio, Borromini era un architetto che lo scolpiva.”
Dopo questo libro, se possibile, amo Roma ancora più di prima!
January 31, 2024
A good friend loaned me three books on the artists behind many of Rome's famous (and not so famous) monuments, churches and sculptures. This the the third in the series that I completed, and while the stories of the artists themselves -- Bernini and Borromini -- were very interesting, I was less enthralled with the author's detailed description of the architecture. This disappointment would have been largely alleviated if he included more detailed pictures of the actual art, but, alas, he did not.
I am still amazed at just how political, corrupt, greedy and deceitful the Catholic hierarchy -- which includes Popes and Cardinals --was. While they undoubtedly accomplished some noteworthy achievements, their dark worldliness is shocking and enraging.
A decent book, particularly for those keenly interested in Rome's architecture.
I am still amazed at just how political, corrupt, greedy and deceitful the Catholic hierarchy -- which includes Popes and Cardinals --was. While they undoubtedly accomplished some noteworthy achievements, their dark worldliness is shocking and enraging.
A decent book, particularly for those keenly interested in Rome's architecture.
September 3, 2017
A well written and orderly presentation of two great baroque artisans; Bernini and Borromini. While the "rivalry" in the books title is overstated the "transformation" is not. It's hard to imagine a Rome without the art and architecture these two geniuses produced. While Bernini remains on his own cloud in the artistic stratosphere, Morrissey helps the reader to understand why Borromini was important, unique and gifted.
This is a relatively fast read and I think I benefited from first taking in Howard Hibbard's more in depth descriptions of Bernini's sculpture and architecture.
This is a relatively fast read and I think I benefited from first taking in Howard Hibbard's more in depth descriptions of Bernini's sculpture and architecture.
August 19, 2020
Brilliant read!! After being in Italy, studying architecture and the Baroque geometric styles and urban planning of Rome, I became obsessed with this rivalry these two designers had over the years. The amount of drama and competition these two humans had during this time period still blows my mind & the amount of funding and practical real world issues they had as designers in comparison to today is part of the reason I’ve always been intrigued. Really great read for history, architecture and planning lovers. Well researched and an easy to follow.
September 7, 2020
The book goes back to the biography of two 17th century architects, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, in the context it analyzes the rivalry and the dispute to achieve the best architectural projects. It shows how the exchange of powers between traditional families works in the succession of the popes and how two geniuses of equal creative value, but with such different personalities sealed their destinies. The two hated each other with such devotion and created the greatest Baroque works because of the rivalry. I could say that this rivalry ended up creating the Baroque.
October 25, 2018
Andrò a Roma a breve e chi se non Bernini e Borromini hanno plasmato la Roma barocca che incanta e affascina. Due geni, uno scultore prestato all'architettura (Bernini) e un architetto visionario (Borromini) che si sono sempre contesi le committenze e i favori dei vari papi con alterne fortune. Un excursus nelle vite artistiche di due grandissimi del panorama artistico mondiale con le loro differenze e i punti di contatto.
February 14, 2025
While narrating what these two prolific architects did to transform Rome in the 17nth Century, Morrisssey would have enhanced his presentation with photos and illustrations of their works. The lack of maps locating the Churches that they transformed is also a serious weakness As it is, the reader unfamiliar with Rome is lost. Bernini and Borromini may have been polar opposites in personality and output but mere words are inadequate to convey their genius,
October 14, 2025
Great story
If you love the architecture of Rome read this. Great characters,humble beginnings,architecture that dreams of the divine,a great rivalry, ups and downs , corrupt popes and a surprisingly religious pope combine in a great well researched and well told story of two historic "starchitects",one of whom just happened to be the greatest sculptor since Michelangelo as well.
If you love the architecture of Rome read this. Great characters,humble beginnings,architecture that dreams of the divine,a great rivalry, ups and downs , corrupt popes and a surprisingly religious pope combine in a great well researched and well told story of two historic "starchitects",one of whom just happened to be the greatest sculptor since Michelangelo as well.
November 28, 2018
It is an excellent option for those who are searching for a nice biographical reading. The way Morrissey used to reconstruct the cultural history of Rome through the rivalty of those two genius of design is remarkable. I read its Brazilian edition once in 2016 and its still fresh on my mind. I highly recommend this book for any reader who is interested in history of arts and biographies
July 10, 2019
A fascinating tale of the transformation of Rome from a medieval slum to the splendor we see today. Borromini and Bernini, rival Renaissance geniuses, sculptors and architects fight it out in the halls of the Vatican and power structures of Rome for commissions to re-envision the monuments and layout of the Eternal City.
September 14, 2024
Its a nice book but not written in a very exiting way. Too much architecture too little rivarly. And even architecture (and sculpture) was not much of an eye opener, purelly descriptive, and not in a good way. Also repetitive nature of many chapters (i assume it might have been initially written in a form of separate articles) does not help
April 17, 2024
An excellent book, well framed within the rivalry that changed Rome and the Baroque era on whole. So much great information about their art and their personal lives. I needed my ipad handy so I could look up each project they worked on or completed.
April 27, 2021
Bellissimo
May 14, 2021
A very interesting, well-researched book about Bernini and his works and the rivalry that existed between him and his student, Borromini.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews