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Leonardo da Vinci \u2013 500 Years of Genius will open at The Lume in March 2024.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Eddie Jim<\/cite><\/p>\n The Lume is known for its inventive use of projections \u2013 their inaugural exhibition centred on tortured artist Vincent van Gogh and allowed visitors to feel as though they were walking through the works themselves.<\/p>\n For da Vinci, however, Cameron emphasises that this isn\u2019t simply going to be da Vinci\u2019s most famous works projected, larger than life, on different surfaces \u2013 the goal is to offer a glimpse into explore who da Vinci really was.<\/p>\n So, how will they accomplish this? The Lume won\u2019t be starting from scratch \u2013 parent company Grande Experiences own and operate Museo Leonardo da Vinci in Rome and have run different touring Leonardo da Vinci exhibitions all over the world, which will provide a strong launching pad.<\/p>\n For this specific exhibition however Cameron points to a few different techniques, including showing what was happening beyond the edges of a canvas. Despite being a prolific inventor, scientist and artist, da Vinci completed few paintings. So, The Lume will be drawing on da Vinci\u2019s codices \u2013 thousands of pages of handwritten notes where he outlined findings, ideas and occasionally some insights into his more private life.<\/p>\n The Lume will draw on da Vinci\u2019s writings to shape the upcoming exhibition.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Alicia Taylor<\/cite><\/p>\n By drawing on da Vinci\u2019s own writing and bringing in artists and illustrators to create unique works for this exhibition, Cameron hopes to plunge people into da Vinci\u2019s world. \u201cThey\u2019ll feel like they\u2019re in Tuscany, or they\u2019ll feel like they\u2019re in Florence or Milan or Rome \u2013 we\u2019re really trying to transport the audience to these certain places,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n The exhibition will also offer a different look at some familiar works. In 2015, French scientist Pascal Cotte claimed to have discovered a portrait hidden beneath the Mona Lisa<\/em> by using reflective light technology. Through a collaboration between scientist and gallery, both the well-known masterpiece and Cotte\u2019s discovery will be put on display. \u201cYou will be able to interrogate this discovery by Pascal for yourself,\u201d says Cameron. Cotte\u2019s hidden painting is both similar and alien, with one of the most marked differences being the eyes. \u201cThe first painting wasn\u2019t even looking at the viewer\u201d.<\/p>\n Theories about who the Mona Lisa really was, why it was painted, and why da Vinci valued it so highly have been hotly contested for years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been interesting navigating the information about the Mona Lisa, because of course, it\u2019s plagued with lots of theories and hearsay. So you\u2019ve got to sort of wade through this miasma of misinformation to really get to the bottom of it,\u201d says Cameron. \u201cLike Leonardo da Vinci we\u2019re obeying the science and the observational science to present to the audience exactly what the Mona Lisa is about. So we\u2019ll cut through all that misinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n The exhibition will offer a different look at some familiar works.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Eddie Jim<\/cite><\/p>\n Da Vinci\u2019s words will also be given shape via \u201cmachine inventions\u201d, created by and on loan from the Museo Leonardo da Vinci which used the inventor\u2019s sketches to create a series of 50 different structures including concepts for flying machines.<\/p>\n All of what is planned, however, comes back to the man himself. \u201cI think the personal is a huge part of what we need to do at The Lume because I think it\u2019s expected of us \u2013 we want to know who these artists are personally. So we\u2019ll dive into everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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