Da Vinci – The Genius

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is proud to host the extraordinary Da Vinci, The Genius exhibition created by Grande Exhibitions of Victoria, Australia in collaboration with the Museo Leonardo da Vinci, Rome, and the French scientific engineer Pascal Cotte. This is the most comprehensive traveling exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci ever assembled.

Leonardo da Vinci was a genius, a virtuoso, and a visionary. His studies, inventions and works of art created during his life, from 1452 to 1519, make him the consummate Renaissance man. He drew early concepts for the car, bicycle, helicopter, glider, parachute and much more, but his legacy is best seen today in such works as the “Mona Lisa,” “The Vitruvian Man” and “The Last Supper.”  Visitors will get an up-close view of life-size, interactive representations of his designs. 

In addition to life-sized models and multimedia presentations, exhibition includes facsimiles of a fascinating collection of rare codices and da Vinci’s art works, animations telling the story behind the Vitruvian Man, Mona Lisa, the Last Supper and the Sforza Horse sculpture.

The 15,000 square foot exhibition, with more than 200 objects, is comprised of two parts: 

“The Secrets of Mona Lisa” describes how forensic studies of this famous painting uncovered over 25 secrets hidden beneath varnish, and how recent studies produced exciting and unprecedented revelations about her true identity.

“The Inventions” features 75 large-scale models of da Vinci’s machine concepts, many of them interactive, brought to life for the first time by modern-day artisans.

There is a $22 up-charge for the exhibit, though admission prices for members and seniors will be reduced.

Whether you go or not, the recently-released book, Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson, weaves a narrative that connects Da Vinci's art to his science. Shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy. Leonardo’s delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical.

Select Leonardo da Vinci to learn more about the book or to place it in your Amazon shopping cart.