The current exhibition at The Queen’s Gallery in London is all about Leonardo da Vinci this summer.  Having been to a few da Vinci exhibitions over the years, I wasn’t sure what this one would bring that I haven’t seen before but I was utterly surprised.  

Curator Martin Clayton, the Head of Prints and Drawings, Royal Collection Trust pulled together the largest exhibition of da Vinci’s work in over 65 years.  There are more than 200 drawings and the exhibition explores Leonardo’s interest (in both chronologically and thematically order): painting, sculpture, architecture, anatomy, engineering and more.  There were also pieces by Leonardo’s contemporaries which was exciting to see.

I was fortunate to go first thing in the morning and whilst there was a queue to get in (you have to go through security) there is so much to see the crowd soon thins out.  I was sharing on Twitter as there were so many key items I really appreciated.

The multi-media guides (by ATS) are free and handed out to you before you enter the exhibition. They are worth taking as they add a brilliant layer to the already informative signage.

There is something fascinating about seeing da Vinci’s drawings and works. He was a perfectionist in that he would study and practice constantly – usually for commissioned pieces but often just because he was curious and wanted to know more.

Although his study of anatomy and animals is pretty well documented I was surprised to see he even studied things like water and water flow. It makes sense as a challenge as it’s incredibly difficult to capture (pop artist David Hockney once said in a talk).

To stand in front of what was possibly his last piece of work was powerful. Still the signature style of da Vinci from his earlier pieces.

Seeing the sketches of the Last Supper was overwhelming

Leonardo left over 2000 drawings and dozens of notebooks to his pupil Francesco Melzi. For almost four centuries he was seen as a painter but not a scientist and thinker but with his notes, there is a much better understanding of da Vinci’s life and work.

There is also a lovely kids area in the Queen’s Gallery for every exhibition which is free for everyone to use (that has a ticket to exhibition).

Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing is on from May 24 – October 13, 2019. For ticket and additional information visit their website.

I took a lot of photos so if you would like to see more, I put them on a Facebook album here.