For more than a century Florence had been building the lavish cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, designed to showcase the city's wealth and power.

FORBES: Dome of the Brave

Beauty in its traditional sense is profoundly important to him some of his favorite artworks include the Annunciation altarpiece by the early Renaissance master Simone Martini (created for the Siena Cathedral, but now in Florence's Uffizi Gallery), the paintings of the English Pre-Raphaelites, and the sculpture of Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

WSJ: Paul Jacobs | Great Music Needs No Apology | Cultural Conversation by Barrymore Laurence Scherer