Leonardo da Vinci’s 500th anniversary met with global celebration

As 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, exhibitions around the globe continue to celebrate the legacy of the impactful Italian inventor and renaissance artist.

Recently, the Louvre in Paris secured a number of da Vinci’s paintings from Italy despite a diplomatic dispute which threatened to invalidate the negotiation. In their “Leonardo da Vinci” exhibit, which runs from Oct. 24- February 24 2020, the museum will show a large collection of da Vinci paintings paired next to 22 of his drawings. In an exhibition that took nearly 10 years to put together, “Leonardo da Vinci” displays what the museum calls “[an] unprecedented retrospective of da Vinci’s painting career” and “will paint the portrait of a man and an artist of extraordinary freedom.”

In Florence, where da Vinci lived for much of his life, several of his sketches and paintings will be on display at the Uffizi Gallery in a small room dedicated to the artist. These paintings include “Annunciation,” “Baptism of Christ” and “Adoration of the Magi.” Likewise, Palazzo Vecchio’s exhibition “Leonardo da Vinci in Florence” will celebrate da Vinci until June, with 12 original sheets from da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus on display. Codex Atlanticus is a bound set of drawings and writings on loan from the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.

The United Kingdom is finishing its last leg of a tour of drawing exhibitions, which were featured in a number of galleries and museums in 12 cities, including Belfast and Southampton. 80 drawings of the “Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing” collection will be on display Nov. 22-March 15, 2020, at the Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, the largest number of his works ever displayed in the nation.

–Becca Most