The Leonardo da Vinci Exhibit is Truly Worth It: An Honest Review
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I’ve admired da Vinci for a while, but not because of his famous paintings, rather because of his work as an inventor, engineer, musician, and urban planner, far ahead of his time.
On my 3rd visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, I got to see life-sized reconstructions of Leonardo’s most ambitious machines, authentic and rare 500-year-old pages from the Codex Atlanticus, and interactive displays that bring his genius to life in ways I never imagined.
Whether you’re a history buff fascinated by Renaissance innovation or just someone who appreciates remarkable human achievement, this exhibit will change how you see da Vinci.
You’ll discover his mechanical lion that actually moves, his flying machines built to scale, his designs for an ideal city, which truly astounded me, and musical instruments that demonstrate his lesser-known talents as a composer and engineer.
By the end of your visit, you’ll understand why historians call him the ultimate Renaissance man and get the rare chance to see authentic pieces of his work without booking a flight to Europe (though I did enjoy the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology in Milan).
This exhibit is no longer at the Reagan Library, but continues to tour, so this review will give you insight into what you can expect when it lands in your city.
The Man and His Masterpieces
It’s no stretch to say Leonardo da Vinci was incredible!
If anything, it’s hard to imagine one person was able to accomplish so much in 67 years!
He had no formal academic training and yet was still able to create so much.
Many historians and scholars regard Leonardo as the prime exemplar of the ‘Universal Genius’ or ‘Renaissance Man.’
Widely considered one of the most diversely talented individuals ever to have lived, he had an unquenchable curiosity and inventive imagination.
Before entering the exhibit, a short film on the legend is played.
Tell me, have I done anything of worth. Tell me if anything was ever done?
leonardo da Vinci
Codex Atlanticus (Atlantic Codex)
If you’re like me, you may have never heard of the Codex Atlanticus before.
The Codex Atlanticus is a twelve-volume bound set of drawings and writings by Leonardo da Vinci.
The largest of which gets its name from the large paper, for atlases, used to preserve the original da Vinci notebook pages.
Containing 1,119 leaves dating from 1478 to 1519, the contents cover a wide variety of subjects, many of which are featured in the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit.
In his will, he bequeathed his entire work to his favorite student, Francesco Melzi.
After Francesco died in 1570, his heirs had no interest in the papers, so they stored them in an attic in Vaprio d’Adda (outside Milan).
One of the visitors to the attic was Pompeo Leoni, son of Leone Leoni, the favorite sculptor of King Philip II of Spain.
In the late 16th century, Pompeo created the Codex Atlanticus by dismembering some of Leonardo’s notebooks and then cutting and rearranging the pages to form coherent volumes.
Had this preservation not been done, it’s possible we wouldn’t have this vast amount of his work today.
The Life-Size Machines
The Leonardo da Vinci exhibit could have solely been on his paintings, but it’s even more spectacular because it explores his inventions, musical machines, writings, and discoveries.
Leonardo was an avid student of experimental study and observation, especially of mechanical forces.
His teachers included mathematicians, astronomers, physicians, and philosophers.
At this exhibit, three dozen reconstructions of his fantastic machines have been carefully curated to showcase his work.
A dozen of these machines were built life-size, including his Mechanical Lion, Mechanical Bat, and Great Kite.
Machines built for war, such as the robot soldiers and the multi-cannon gunship, are also on display.
Only a few of his designs were ever constructed or even feasible during his lifetime, which makes them all the more impressive.
Thanks to modern science, the curators of this exhibit were able to bring many of them to life.
I mean, they look like something nearly out of an episode of Doctor Who, medieval Cyber Men, if you will.
Taking Flight
If you’ve seen Da Vinci’s Demons, you may have seen some of these machines in use on the TV show.
Side note: I highly recommend the series, even though it was canceled well before its time and isn’t completely historically accurate, mostly because little is known about da Vinci’s youth.
500 years ago, a number of his flying machines were mere concepts.
Today, they are built to scale at the exhibit.
Leonardo da Vinci devoted much of his time to investigating flight—so much so that there’s an entire codex on it, titled The Codex on Flight or The Codex on the Flight of Birds.
The codex contains everything from an analysis of bird flight to a design for a flying machine (the Great Kite).
He even wrote instructions for the pilot!
He truly was a savant who thought of every detail.
The Art of da Vinci
Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his artwork.
At this exhibit, his famous pieces of art come to life through digital restoration.
Featured are The Mona Lisa, The Vitruvian Man, The Last Supper, and The Lady with an Ermine.
I’ve been lucky enough to see three out of four of these originals on my travels:
- The Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris
- The Last Supper in the refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie convent in Milan
- The Lady with an Ermine at the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków
And while nothing replaces the original, this exhibit does a wonderful job at showcasing his artistry.
Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man is rarely on public display due to its extreme fragility and sensitivity to light.
Interactive kiosks are next to the art, so you can learn more about them.
The day I went was a bit busy with kids, who, of course, love interactive things, so I didn’t get to peruse them much.
Boats, Musical Instruments & Ideal Cities
Before visiting the exhibition, I had no idea about Leonardo da Vinci’s work on instruments.
The Reagan Library had the worldwide premiere of his Double Continuous Organ, one of his most functional projects.
Another one of his ingenious designs I had no idea about was the “ideal city.”
He had notes on everything from hydraulic systems to architectural elements.
“Ideal” is not meant to reflect its beauty but rather its perfection in machinery, including the circulation of things and people, cleanliness, and hygiene.
Water was to be the energy through which a city thrived.
The city’s design started with a site that had a river running through it.
The water would then be diverted into canals, enabling boats to navigate and sewage to flow.
A hydraulic system would provide energy for all machine functions.
He also designed automated sinks, pipes, and streets that were cleaned automatically using rainwater.
This all seems at least somewhat standard to us these days, but you have to remember he was alive 1452-1519.
There was also quite a number of ships he designed on display, everything from paddle boats to warships.
Is the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibit Worth Visiting?
This was the third time I’ve been to the Reagan Library for a special exhibit.
The first was for one on Walt Disney, and the second was for the Pompeii exhibit.
The temporary da Vinci exhibit called The World of da Vinci is well worth the visit, and though it’s since moved to other cities, I highly recommend you check it out whenever it’s near your city.
It took me about two hours to get through the exhibit, but I also read nearly every sign.
For small children, it may not be that interesting, but anyone at least aware of him will be impressed.
FAQs
What is the Codex Atlanticus?
The Codex Atlanticus is a twelve-volume bound collection of drawings and writings by Leonardo da Vinci, containing 1,119 leaves created between 1478 and 1519.
It is the largest of his surviving manuscript collections, named for the large atlas-format paper used to preserve his original notebook pages.
The Codex covers an extraordinary range of subjects—from engineering and weapons to hydraulics, architecture, and musical instruments—reflecting the full breadth of da Vinci’s interests across his lifetime.
In his will, Leonardo bequeathed his work to his favorite student, Francesco Melzi. After Melzi’s death in 1570, his heirs stored the papers in an attic in Vaprio d’Adda near Milan, where they were eventually found by Pompeo Leoni, who reorganized and bound them into coherent volumes in the late 16th century.
Without Leoni’s preservation work, much of da Vinci’s written and illustrated legacy might have been lost permanently.
The Codex Atlanticus is currently held at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.
What Did Leonardo da Vinci Invent?
Leonardo da Vinci designed concepts for flying machines, war machines, hydraulic systems, musical instruments, and urban infrastructure that were centuries ahead of their time.
His flying machine designs—including the Great Kite and various ornithopters—were inspired by intensive study of bird flight documented in his Codex on the Flight of Birds.
He designed robot soldiers, a multi-cannon gunship, paddle boats, and warships for military use.
His “ideal city” concept proposed a hydraulically powered urban system with diverted canals for navigation and sewage, automated street-cleaning using rainwater, and hydraulic-powered machinery—revolutionary concepts for someone living between 1452 and 1519.
He also designed musical instruments, including a Double Continuous Organ and a Harpsichord-Viola.
Only a few of his designs were feasible or constructed during his lifetime; modern engineering has since proven many of them sound in principle, and life-size reconstructions of dozens of his machines are featured in The World of da Vinci traveling exhibition.
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Da Vinci is one of the greatest human beings who ever lived. One of my favorites. It does the heart good to know that the museum to a president who treasured freedom should host this exhibit.
Da Vinci was quite the phenomenal person!