Da Vinci: The Genius

This week, the National Geographic Museum unveiled Da Vinci: The Genius, a traveling exhibition that delves into one of history’s greatest minds. The gallery, which runs until September 12, is filled with a myriad of da Vinci’s fascinating inventions, all created based on the sketches he left behind in his famous codices. Beyond his well known flying machines (designed more than 400 years before the Wright brothers achieved the first flight), there are military machines, weather instruments, civil machines such as cranes and cars, a model of an “Ideal City,” and nautical inventions, including an ancestor of modern scuba gear.

Anatomical drawings and quotes by the genius himself (“Art is never finished, only abandoned”) are also featured on the walls all around the exhibit, rounding out the incredible range of knowledge on display.

The alcoves on da Vinci’s art are also worth checking out, revealing little-known facts about his masterpieces. There is, of course, a section on the Mona Lisa – but it’s based on the work of French scientific engineer Pascal Cotte, who took unprecedented high-definition photographs of the legendary painting at the Louvre. Examining the photographs revealed 25 secrets about the painting, and they are all broken down for visitors.

Kids will enjoy playing with the physics and music devices, as well as standing in The Mirror Room, an eight-sided chamber with walls made of mirrors that da Vinci postulated would allow you to see yourself an infinite number of times.

Since much of da Vinci’s work is either lost (only 6,000 pages of his codices survive), deteriorating (The Last Supper) or too fragile to be on display (The Vitruvian Man), this is a rare opportunity to get a comprehensive look at what this far-seeing mastermind actually achieved in his lifetime.

The exhibition is complemented by film screenings of Leonardo da Vinci: The Man Who Wanted to Know Everythingfilm screenings of Leonardo da Vinci: The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything on Wednesdays at noon, and Saturdays and Sundays  at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Photo courtesy Grande Exhibitions