The Da Vinci – The Genius exhibition at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town is fascinating and, quite literally, mind-boggling.
There are over 200 of Da Vinci’s inventions, artworks and sketches under one roof.
Born in Italy in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci was an inventor, artist, scientist, anatomist, engineer, architect, sculptor, philosopher and quite frankly, a man way ahead of his time. I have always been fascinated with his anatomical drawings of the human form and the mystery of the Mona Lisa, but nothing prepared me for the scale of his achievements that I saw at the Da Vinci – The Genius exhibition at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. It’s literally mind-boggling.
Here are ten reasons why you should go see this incredible exhibition for yourself before it leaves our shores on 24 March 2014.
- You’ll get to see over 200 of his inventions, artworks and sketches under one roof. Word of warning: it’s quite overwhelming so your brain may fizzle out and die by the end of it. Mine did!
- Da Vinci used tiny notebooks (called codices) to record all his drawings, writings and ideas. Some of these codices are on display at the exhibition and I was fascinated at how neat his writing was! Interestingly, Bill Gates owns the original of the Leicester Codex – wonder if there was a computer drawing in it?
- You can interact with machines that he designed which have been carefully and exactingly crafted by Italian artisans using Da Vinci’s codices. These include the first concepts of a car, bicycle, helicopter, glider, parachute, submarine and military tank. I did note that while many of his inventions were for war, Leonardo da Vinci was lover of nature, which must’ve been a great contradiction for him.
- Children are welcome at the exhibition and they will also enjoy interacting with many of the displays. The little boys that were there while I was there were particularly taken with the anvil! However, not ALL of them are interactive, so don’t let them play with the ones that say you mustn’t touch them, even though it’s tempting (for adults too).
- You can view incredibly accurate sketches from his anatomical studies that are still used to train doctors and nurses today. During his study of the human body (which he started to keep his paintings as “true to nature” as he could) Da Vinci performed undercover dissections of more than 30 corpses in hospitals and medical schools.
- Many of Da Vinci’s interesting and insightful quotes are dotted around the exhibition which make for thought-provoking reading. My personal favourite was “Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous.”
- The Mirror Room is great fun! It’s an eight-sided chamber with walls made of mirrors where you can see yourself from all angles an infinite number of times. It’s a bit like a changing room in a clothing store, but with much more flattering lighting!
- While the real Mona Lisa is not at the exhibition (it is not allowed to be moved out of The Louvre), you can see a life-like copy of the famous painting and discover 25 secrets about the painting thanks to high-definition photographs taken by a certain Pascal Cotte. These photographs are displayed with the secrets broken down. You’ll never look at the Mona Lisa in the same way again.
- Apart from the Mona Lisa, you can see other paintings by Da Vinci including his Renaissance work and a true-to-life digital recreation of The Last Supper. I have to admit that the artworks and anatomical sketches were my favourite sections.
- Finally, when you have finished looking at all these works of a genius (and your brain has exploded), you can go sit at a local restaurant or pub and reflect on it all. You’ll find plenty of spots to choose from at the V&A Waterfront.
See his sketches of the human body and designs for the first bicycle and helicopter.
Apart from being responsible for the world’s most famous painting it’s hard to believe that this incredible man, who lived more than 500 years ago, is responsible for so many discoveries and inventions that shaped our world. It seems there was only two things he didn’t do – he never got married or had children. Some would say that truly was genius!
Da Vinci – The Genius exhibition details
Where:
Chavonnes Battery Museum (near the Clock Tower) at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
When:
The last day of the exhibition is on Sunday, 23 March 2014.
Times:
Monday to Sunday from 09h00 to 21h00 (last entry 90 minutes before closing). The exhibition will close at 19h00 on Thursday, 6 February 2014, due to a special event.
Tickets:
Tickets cost R140 for adults, R110 for students and pensioners, R90 for children from 6-17 years and under 5 years are free. Audio guides are also available for R40. Tickets can be bought online at Webtickets or at the exhibition (cash or card).
Discover 25 secrets about the Mona Lisa.
