Giorgio Vasari (/vəˈsɑːri/, also US: /-ˈzɑːr-,vɑːˈzɑːri/,[1][2][3][4] Italian: [ˈdʒordʒo vaˈzaːri]; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian painter, architect and writer. He is most famous for his book "The Lives of the Great Architects, Painters and Sculptors of Italy", which is usually known as "Vasari's Lives". Although some other writers had written about art, this book, which was published in 1550 makes Vasari the first art historian.