- [Narrator] Okay, so
everybody knows Michelangelo.
Italian, Renaissance, hipster beard.
He's made a few things
you might have seen.
This naked guy,
this crazy ceiling,
a couple of paintings.
But did you also know,
that he is the mastermind
behind one of arts most
innovative inventions,
Paint by Number?
(happy, playful music)
Way back in the 1500s,
Michelangelo was the man,
top dog,
he had all the Popes on speed dial.
He was so busy, he used students
to help him with his work,
and he started pre-numbering
sections of his paintings
and ceilings, so that students
could follow the design.
See where this is headed?
- [Female Narrator] Ugh.
- [Narrator] Fast forward to 1949.
Dan Robbins was an artist
at the Palmer Paint Company
in Michigan.
And he had an idea.
He created painting kits
and pre-numbered them,
like Michelangelo did,
and Paint by Numbers was born.
Pretty soon, it was hugely popular.
Seriously, everybody was doing it.
For goodness sakes,
J. Edgar Hoover has one
hanging in the White House.
Today, Dan Robbins, with
the help of the rest of us,
is probably the most
displayed artist in the world.
Sorry, Michelangelo.
(playful music)
- [Michelangelo] Whatever.
