da Vinci in London: The Art Revolution Will Be Televised
When Leonardo da Vinci painted at the court of Milan from 1482 through 1499, he contributed to the revolution in seeing we now know as the Renaissance. Lorenzo de' Medici sent Leonardo as a peace offering to Ludovico il Moro, the Duke of Milan, but the original Renaissance man—painter, sculptor, inventor, architect, scientist, engineer, writer, and much, much more—brought much more than peace to the kingdom. Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan, a mind-blowing blockbuster of an art exhibition at the National Gallery in London, England, brings together an astounding number of da Vinci’s paintings from this period—more than has been assembled in one place since the days of the court itself. It’s the number 1, must-see show in the world for 2011. But what if you can’t get there? Don’t worry, this revolution will be televised—a revolutionary act itself.The National Gallery says simply:
Today, November 8th, when the doors to the da Vinci exhibition open for a sneak peek, the larger public can join in virtually either by watching Leonardo Live at select cinemas in the UK or at home on their cable television. The simulcast, believed to be the first of its kind for an art exhibition, will be handled in movie houses by Picturehouse Entertainment and City Screen, while Sky Arts does the cable and online honors. Before the live simulcast, an 80-minute film about the exhibition produced by Seventh Art Productions presented by art historian and broadcaster Tim Marlow will give the background of the show before the doors “open,” so to speak. Among the highlights of the show are Leonardo’s The Lady with an Ermine, Saint Jerome, a life-size replica of The Last Supper (which, obviously can’t be moved), and both versions of The Virgin of the Rocks (the Louvre’s and the National Gallery’s newly restored own, detail shown above), brought together for the first time ever.
It’s the next best thing to being there, I guess. For art nerds such as myself, the prospect of an early peek at such an astounding exhibition seems irresistible. And yet, I don’t know if the same thrill of “being there” can be reproduced on a big or little screen....MORE
‘Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan’ is the most complete display of Leonardo’s rare surviving paintings ever held. This unprecedented exhibition – the first of its kind anywhere in the world – brings together sensational international loans never before seen in the UK.If your taste runs toward a double Virgin on the Rocks, you are in luck.
[ahhh... that's Virgin of the Rocks not some weird cocktail -ed]
[PDF 610kb – opens in a new window]The exhibition runs through 5 February 2012.
