The hunt for the remains of Lisa Gherardini, the woman who, according to many art historians, sat for Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa ,will start at the former convent of Sant’Orsola in Florence on May 9. The men from the National Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee will explore the crypt, the cloister and the church in the hope of finding the remains of the noblewoman; but there are doubts about the success of the whole operation; even if they should come across the remains of Mrs Gherardini (actually the skull is what they are really after) will they ever be able to restore a woman’s face and once and for all establish whether it is depicted in the portrait of Leonardo? Maybe yes, in fact according to an important document found in the archives of the Church of San Lorenzo in 2007, Fancesco Del Giocondo‘s wife Lisa Gherardini was really buried at the convent of Sant’Orsola.

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The Royal Academy Of Arts in London is to host an important exhibition called Treasures from Budapest: European Masterpieces from Leonardo to Schiele. The exhibition will showcase more than 200 works including paintings, drawings and sculpture from the early Renaissance to the twentieth century. Important works by such artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, El Greco, Rubens, Goya, Manet, Monet, Schiele, Gauguin and Picasso will be on display, many of which have not previously been shown in the UK. Treasures from Budapest: European Masterpieces from Leonardo to Schiele which will start on September 25 has been organised by the Royal Academy of Arts, London in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest (which houses the state collection of international art works in Hungary, including the famous Esterházy collection) and with the partnership of the Hungarian National Gallery.

Treasures from Budapest: European Masterpieces from Leonardo to Schiele - Royal Academy of Arts

Continue reading: London: Royal Academy of Arts hosts "Treasures from Budapest: European Masterpieces from Leonardo to Schiele"

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The museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci in his hometown has reopened to the public, meaning you can tour Tuscany and enjoy a visit to the place dedicated to Italy’s genius. The museum is located in the Castello dei Conti di Guido, in the centre of Vinci town, which is about 60 km from Florence.

The Leonardo museum in Vinci shows various aspects of his life and work, exploring Leonardo as an engineer, architect, scientist and mechanic. Various reconstructions of his famous models are included, including examples of his civil engineering, clocks, war machines and flying machines. More day-to-day objects are also on show, including the enigma of the Leonardo da Vinci bicycle.

The Museo Leonardiano in Vinci is open everyday from 9:30am to 7pm and in the winter months from November through to February, it’s open from 9:30 to 6pm. Tickets cost six euros each for adults.

Source | Viaggi di Repubblica

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As if the Da Vinci Code weren’t enough, an Italian has lodged a formal request with France to exhume the body of Leonardo Da Vinci, from what is believed to be his tomb at Amboise, in the Loire, France. It’s just another bizarre twist in the myth of the Mona Lisa and the genius of Da Vinci.

The idea behind asking to exhume his body would be to examine the skull of Leonardo Da Vinci to determine whether the Mona Lisa (called the “La Gioconda” by Italians), is in fact, a self-portait of the artist. What’s more, it seems that the French government may grant the request, and that the operation could take place by this summer.

It’s another step in the weird analyses taking place of the Mona Lisa, which include the study of the Mona Lise smile apparently due to high colesterol. For more details on that take, see the The Telegraph.

Source | Artsblog.it

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The city of Milan is organising another public pillow fight, this time in April in the Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, and the city is hoping to beat the world pillow fight record. It stands at 10,000 people and is currently held by San Francisco.

The previous Milan pillow fight was held in the piazza outside the world famous Duomo, but this time organisers are moving the event, currently scheduled to take place on April 18 next year. More than 7,000 people have already registered for the pillow fight on Facebook, and if you’re in town, perhaps you’d like to join. It’s not always you can say you went to Milan for a pillow fight.

Photo | Flickr.

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The small town of Da Vinci is hosting a new and to some extent bizarre exhibition dedicated to one of the world’s most famous paintings: the Mona Lisa. The bizarre element I am referring to is the centrepiece of the exhibition which this time will not be the famous Gioconda (that’s the name of the Painting in Italian) but a series of half-naked Mona Lisas depicted by other artists. Some of these portrayals on view date back to 17th century. This exhibition is at the Museo Ideale in the Tuscan town of Vinci, near Florence (where Leonardo was born in 1452) and can only be seen as a nouveau variation on the theme; a variation which for some will border on the risqué!

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Leonardo da Vinci’s world famous Vitruvian Man is appearing in Venice for a short exhibition for the first time in seven years of not being on display to the public. The Gallerie dell’Accademia will host the precious drawing, which shows perfect human proportions and cosmic harmony, will be on display until January 10th.

The image is inscribed on Italy’s one euro coin, and the drawing itself was created by Leonardo sometime around 1490, based on the theories of Roman architect Vitruvius, from Book III of his treatise De Architectura. The Vitruvian Man drawing measures 34.5 by 24.6 cm and will act as an introduction to the newly renovated museum. The Gallerie dell’Accademia hosts more than just this Leonardo da Vinci drawing, and on completion of the restorations, all 25 Leonardo drawings in possession will be exhibited.

Source | Artsblog.it

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The “La bella principessa” painting could be a work of Leonardo da Vinci, according to reports. If that is the case, the painting (”Beautiful Princess” in English) of a woman dressed in Renaissance clothing, would be valued at millions of euros.

The small painting was previously attributed to a German artist and was last sold in 1998 for a mere 19,000 USD. A carbon dating and infrared analysis will now be conducted to see if the painting is, in fact, the work of the great Italian master.

According to experts, the expressive technique of the work gives weight to the theory of it being a piece of Italian art from da Vinci; and apparently a finger print of the great Italian artist has been found on the potrait. The work, originally sold as “Young Girl in Profile in Renaissance Dress”, is possibly of Bianca Sforza, daughter of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan.

Source | The Times

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Visiting Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper in Milan can be quite an enterprise. You have to phone, book, hope the person on the other end speaks English, make sure you book early, plan ahead and don’t just rush over on the day you arrive in Milan expecting to get in. On the Last Supper ticket site, the first date currently available for a visit to the famous Da Vinci fresco is November 3rd.

Which is why, if you’ve come all that way, and can’t get in, but still want a feel for what the experience of seeing the legendary artwork might have been, you can visit the replica. There is a copy of Da Vinci’s masterpiece in the San Lorenzo basilica in Milan.

This is one of the tips included in the book “101 things do in Milan once in your life”. The visit is free and there’s no queue, but if you want to make sure it’s authentic, see the gallery below. The book on Milan is part of the series which includes where to fall in love in Rome, and 101 things to do in Rome before you die.

Continue reading: Can't visit the Da Vinci last supper in Milan? Visit the Last Supper copy!

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The city of Milan is hosting an extraordinary art exhibition called The Codice Atlantico or Atlantic Code and entirely devoted to one of the greatest geniuses of all time: Leonardo da Vinci. The famous Atlantic Code which is the largest collection of Leonardo da Vinci ‘s manuscripts is made up of 1,750 drawings and 12 volumes which the artist wrote during his life. Now this amazing body of work is on display at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana for the first time. Actually the exhibition has been divided into several segments; the first of which is called Fortezze, bastioni e cannoni. Visitors will also have the unique opportunity to see the famous Aula Leonardi, the beautiful Sala Fredericiana and the 17th century Peristilio which displays, along with other Leonardo da Vinci’s works, an amazing portrait of the artist by one of his pupils. But if you want to see more segments of this exhibition, be prepared to take a walk to the beautiful Bramante Sacristy ( Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie), one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance period. The place and the works on display there, trust me, are worth the walk!

Opening hours: 9:00 to 19:00 from Tuesday to Sunday; ticket prices vary from 10 to 20 euros.

Photo | Mamjodh.

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This previously undiscovered self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci has been found and is now on display in Rome at the Santa Maria del Popolo basilica. The Da Vinci self-portrait, exhibited for the first time, shows the fascination with the artist and engineer is not failing, though the drawing has been the subject of some debate among experts.

The potrait, oil on board, has been restored by the medieval studio of Nicola Barbatelli at Acerenza in Basilicata, and will be added to the exhibition in Rome that include over 50 models of Da Vinci’s machines.

After the exhibition closes in Rome on August 31, the newly exhibited artwork will then tour internationally, displaying the Da Vinci portrait in places such as the Hermitage in St Petersburg.

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This new and rather unusual exhibition called The Mind of Leonardo - the Universal Genius at Work and devoted to one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance sheds a new, stronger light on Leonardo’s superb mind. The exhibition now at the Museo Nazionale in via del Plebiscito in Rome will give you the rare opportunity to see works and projects long thought lost. Through a series of video films, digital technologies and amazing machines (based on the original drawings of Leonardo da Vinci) visitors can get a closer look at his ground-breaking inventions, including war and flying machines. According to our sources, The Mind of Leonardo exhibition was the world’s most visited art exhibition in 2007 with more than 900,000 visitors; these astonishing inventions will be on display in Rome until 30 August, so don’t miss it! The exhibition has already been to Florence, Japan, California and Hungary.

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