Rare da Vinci sketches now on display in DC

WASHINGTON — A new exhibition is giving visitors an extremely rare opportunity to view Leonardo da Vinci sketches dating back to the 1400s. The sketches, not seen in the United States until now, are at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library until Aug. 20, as part of the exhibition “Imagining the future. Leonardo da Vinci: in the mind of an Italian genius.” It's the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the Atlantic Codex. 

The exhibit is spearheaded by Confindustria, the largest business association representing manufacturing and service companies in Italy.

“With this exhibition, we want to narrate humanity’s ability to conduct business in an unprecedented way through a monumental and iconic work: a collection of futuristic projects by one of the greatest geniuses of humanity, father, and forerunner of innovations in the most disparate fields of art and knowledge: Leonardo da Vinci, the symbol of Italian talent and know-how,” said Carlo Bomoni, President of Confindustria. “We organized this first monographic exhibition of Da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus in the United States to promote the entrepreneurial spirit as the engine of economic, social, and civil growth in all countries."

Twelve autograph drawings were selected from the 1,119 sheets that make up the Codex.

“The DC Public Library is proud to partner with the Biblioteca Ambrosiana and Confindustria in bringing the Codex Atlanticus to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C.,” said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director of the DC Public Library in a press statement. “These 12 notebook drawings are making their first-ever trip to the United States and provide visitors an idea of Leonardo's boundless curiosity and prescient genius. The drawings and related hands-on children's exhibition will awe, entertain, and inspire all who attend.”

Alongside the exhibit, the Library is hosting “Leonardo’s Lab,” an interactive exhibition developed by the Carnegie Science Center, with the opportunity for children and guys (6-14 years) to participate in activities like constructing structures with wooden slats, exploring aerodynamics with homemade 'ornithopters' and testing their skills at reverse writing on mounted chalkboards. Leonardo’s Lab is brought to the public by the DC Public Library Foundation.

The exhibit bears witness to the intellectual life of the Italian Master from 1478 to 1519, and retraces the themes most studied by Leonardo: mechanics, flight, hydraulics, perpetual motion, development of machines and gears. The philosophy of genius was based on observation and experimentation, which represent the cornerstones of Italian entrepreneurship.

The exhibit is open and free to the public during regular library hours, but you may encounter a wait due to the popularity of the display.