The Musée du Louvre is curating a major retrospective honouring the infinitely curious artist—one who came to be a universal symbol of genius and knowledge and who’s most widely acclaimed work, the Mona Lisa, continues to enchant viewers with her nearly surrealist smile more than 500 years since its inception—Leonardo da Vinci. The quincentenary of the esteemed artist’s passing will be marked by a journey through what he aptly termed ‘the science of painting’ (his own investigation of the world through art) with nearly 120 works (paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculptures, objets d’art) in addition to the five paintings and 22 drawings already housed in the museum.

Sourced from some of the most prestigious institutions, including the Royal Collection, the British Museum, the National Gallery in London, the Vatican Pinacoteca, the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, the Galleria Nazionale in Parma, the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Institut de Franc, the exhibition will allow for a better understanding of Da Vinci’s pictorial technique.

Deviating from the canonical approach that has so often been employed when examining the life of the Florentine Master, this retrospective has been divided into six segments according to chronological periods punctuated by his geographical movements. This, along with a selection of themes such as ‘freedom,’ ‘science’ and ‘life’ enables unique perspective into Da Vinci’s universe. However, the highlight of the showcase is a virtual reality experience developed in partnership with HTC Vive, which allows visitors to get closer than ever to the Mona Lisa.

Although one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous sketches, Vitruvian Man, through which he studied human proportions, was deemed too fragile to be transported from Venice’s Gallerie dell’Accademi to France, the Louvre will exhibit masterpieces like ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’ and ‘La Belle Ferronnière’ among others.

The exhibition will be on display from October 24, 2019 to February 24, 2020 in Hall Napoléon. To ensure optimal visiting conditions, a specific time slot must be booked before visiting.

Image captions and credits:

1. Attribué à Francesco Melzi, Portrait de Léonard de Vinci © Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana Gianni Cigolini Mondadori Portfolio

2. Vitruvian Man

3. Andrea del Verrocchio, Le Christ et saint Thomas, L’Incrédulité de saint Thomas © Louis Frank

4. Léonard de Vinci, Draperie Saint-Morys Figure assise © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) Michel Urtado

5. Léonard de Vinci, Vierge à l’Enfant avec saint Jean Baptiste et un ange, dite La Vierge aux rochers © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) Michel Urtado

6. Léonard de Vinci, Portrait d’une dame de la cour de Milan, dit à tort La Belle Ferronnière © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) Michel Urtado

7. Léonard de Vinci, Saint Jérôme pénitent. Photo © Governatorate of the Vatican City State – Vatican Museums. All rights reserved.

8. Léonard de Vinci, Portrait de jeune homme tenant une partition © Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana

9. Léonard de Vinci, Sainte Anne, la Vierge, l’Enfant Jésus et saint Jean Baptiste © The National Gallery, London

10. Léonard de Vinci, Sainte Anne, la Vierge et l’Enfant Jésus, dite La Sainte Anne © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) René-Gabriel Ojéda

11. Léonard de Vinci, Études pour la tête de Léda © Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019

12. Léonard de Vinci, Tête de femme dite La Scapigliata © Licensed by Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività culturali – Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta-Galleria Nazionale

13. Léonard de Vinci, Étude de composition pour l’Adoration des Mages © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) Michel Urtado

14. Léonard de Vinci, Déluge_Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019

    Photograph of the museum from www.FotografoDigitale.com