Leonardo's Notebooks and Drawings Are Coming to the U.S.

For the first time ever in the U.S. – at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama, no less – Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings and notebooks from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin will be on display. To say this is a huge deal is an understatement. In fact, this is the first time that all the pieces of the collection have been shown together outside of Turin.

Included in the exhibit, explains AP, is Leonardo’s “Codex on the Flight of Birds, an 18-page notebook which had never been shown in the United States. Thick magnifying glasses are available for visitors to truly get a sense of the detail Leonardo packed into the drawings, some of which are nearly complete and others that seem like quick doodles.”

The Birmingham show will run through November 9. After that, the drawings will head to San Francisco where they will be displayed from November 15 through January 4, 2009, at the Legion of Honor. As there is only one Leonardo in any permanent collection in the U.S. – Ginevra de’ Benci at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC – this is truly an exhibition you don’t want to miss if you are stateside this fall.

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As we noted today in an earlier post, tomorrow, July 2, will be the first of this year’s Palio races in Siena. But, that’s not all that’s happening in Italy this month. Here’s the rundown:

Music and Performance Festivals: Roma Estate 2008 continues with various music, comedy, and sports events. Throughout July, Rome will also hold the Rome Jazz Festival in Villa Celimontana, the Parco della Musica, and the Casa del Jazz. Meanwhile, the Spoleto Festival will end on July 13 with a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra. As we mentioned last month, you won’t want to miss the Verona Opera Festival. But, if you’re in Le Marche – Macerata, to be exact – consider a visit to the Sferisterio, Macerata’s grand outdoor arena, which will put on its own opera festival from July 24 through August 12. Even more opera is available for your enjoyment at the annual Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Tuscany. Modern music fans will be headed to Livorno July 16-19 for the Italia Wave Love Festival. This year’s festival will feature an impressive lineup, including The Raveonettes, The Verve, Gnarls Barkley, The Chemical Brothers, and dozens of other acts from Italy, Europe, and as far flung as Ethiopia and Brazil. Jazz enthusiasts will want to check out Pistoia Blues Festival, which will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s first album.

AltaRoma – High Fashion in Rome: From July 6-10 at Rome’s National Museum of 21st Century Art (MAXXI), lucky visitors will get to watch gorgeous models walk the runways in the latest haute couture creations.

Christmas in July: Snowboarding in July? In Italy, it is possible at the Big A Snow and Skateboard Camp in Val Senales near Bolzano through July 19. Park entry will be free until then, and the camp will give snow and skateboarders a chance to perfect their craft and mingle with Italian pro riders.

Art Shows: Palermo will feature a large retrospective of 50 years of Spanish art at its exhibit España 1957-2007. Among the many works will be those by Dali, Miro, and Picasso. In Florence, curators at the Palazzo Strozzi have tried to uncover the mysteries behind Impressionist paintings with Painting Light: The Hidden Techniques of the Impressionists, which begins on July 11. Through the end of August, the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, also in Florence, has Leonardo and Raphael, For Example, an exhibit featuring sketches and drawings from the masters’ studios.

Be sure to click on our Tourism Boards page and check out other local happenings throughout Italy.

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Over the weekend, 60 Minutes had a fascinating piece on “The Lost Leonardo,” which is Leonardo da Vinci’s storied painting of the Battle of Anghiari. Italian art historian Maurizio Seracini believes that the missing artwork lies behind a giant Vasari painting in the Palazzo Vecchio:

“He is convinced Leonardo’s mural lies protected behind an immense painting, which was done by the artist and architect Giorgio Vasari when he remodeled the palazzo in the mid-16th century, 50 years after Leonardo.

“Seracini believes the Leonardo mural is on a second wall behind Vasari’s painting, separated from it by a small air gap, which appeared on a radar scan. Of the six Vasari murals in the room, only the one has an air pocket behind it.”

Watch the video to see how Seracini and his team are using modern technology to “see behind” Vasari’s painting and to look at other underdrawings beneath Leonardo’s paintings.

Photo from Wikipedia

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