London’s National Gallery in Trafalgar Square is to hold a major exhibition of the works of Leonardo da Vinci in November.
Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is the most complete display ever held of Leonardo’s rare surviving paintings. This unprecedented exhibition is the first of its kind in the world and brings together international loans never before seen in the UK.
The exhibition is the first to be dedicated to his aims and techniques as a painter. It is inspired by the recently restored National Gallery painting, The Virgin of the Rocks. In particular the exhibition concentrates on the work he produced as court painter to Duke Lodovico Sforza in Milan in the late 1480s and 1490s.
The exhibition features the finest paintings and drawings by Leonardo and his followers, and examines Leonardo’s pursuit for perfection in his representation of the human form. Works on display include La Belle Ferronière from the Louvre in Paris, the Madonna Litta from the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg, and Saint Jerome from the Vatican.
The final part of the exhibition features a near-contemporary, full-scale copy of Leonardo’s famous Last Supper, on loan from the Royal Academy. It will be displayed with all the surviving preparatory drawings made by Leonardo for his masterpiece. Visitors will be able to discover how such a large-scale painting was designed and executed.
The National Gallery is open daily 10am–6pm (Fri 9pm), admission free. Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is in the Sainsbury Wing from 9 November to 5 February (to 10pm Fri and Sat and daily for the last two weeks), admission £16 adults, £14 concessions, £32 family ticket, under-12s free. Visitors are advised to book early because of the high public demand for the exhibition,
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
Tel: +44 20 7747 2885
+44 844 248 5097 (advance tickets)
Website: www.nationalgallery.org.uk