Leonardo da Vinci drawings coming to Liverpool
Twelve drawings by Leonardo da Vinci will go on show in Liverpool next month to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of the Renaissance master.
The Walker Art Gallery has been chosen as one of 12 locations nationwide to show works from the Royal Collection as part of the celebrations.
The drawings cover some of the artist’s interests including botany, anatomy, engineering and architecture, and the free exhibition at the Walker will include examples of all the drawing materials he used including pen and ink, red and black chalks, watercolour and metalpoint.
It will also present new information about Leonardo's working practices and creative process, gathered through scientific research using a range of non-invasive techniques including ultraviolet imaging, infrared reflectography and X-ray fluorescence.
Xanthe Brooke, National Museums Liverpool’s curator of European art, says: "We’re excited to display Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings and will be looking at the subjects that inspired his creativity.
“The exhibition will showcase our own diverse collections and will be accompanied by a lively events programme.”
The Walker Art Gallery. Top: Leonardo da Vinci, The head of Leda, c1505-8. Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2018
Following the exhibitions in 12 locations, which also include Leeds, Manchester, Belfast and Birmingham, the 144 works of art will be brought back together for a major show at The Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace, the largest exhibition of da Vinci’s work in 65 years.
All the drawings in the Royal Collection were bound into a single album by the sculptor Pompeo Leoni in Milan around 1590 and entered the collection during the reign of Charles II.
Along with being one of the world's greatest painters, da Vinci was a polymath and a man ahead of his time - his designs included what eventually became helicopters, tanks and the parachute.
Leonardo da Vinci: a life in drawing comes to the Walker Art Gallery from February 1 to May 6 2019.