Da Vinci - The Genius Opening Reception

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

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Friday, September 28, 2012, The Leonardo held the grand opening for our new international exhibition: Da Vinci – The Genius. This exhibit, seen by over 3 million people worldwide, was created by Grande Exhibitions with the assistance of Il Genio di Leonardo da Vinci Museo in Italy and Pascal Cotte of Lumiere Technology in France.



The opening party was deemed an absolute success! Guests enjoyed food from our new café, Food For Thought, and our friends and neighbors Cannella’s Italian Restaurant. The Mona Martini created especially for the exhibit by Cannella’s was a particular hit. Of course a big part of the success goes to our (very, very) hard-working staff, including those who stayed up late into the night to make sure everything was ready for the exhibition’s public debut Friday morning.

Utah Governor Gary Hebert and Nobel Laureate Dr. Mario Capecchi were among those who gave remarks, along with exhibit supporter Fred Lampropoulos and our own Board Chair Nick Gibbs and Executive Director Alexandra Hesse.



Finally we were ready to cut the ribbon and let the guests dive into the mind of Leonardo da Vinci, our namesake and perhaps the greatest thinker the world has ever known.

And what did our guests see once inside? Exacting reproductions of Leonardo’s notebooks, or Codices, that form the basis for much of what we know about his work. What connection does Bill Gates have to the notebooks? Hint: listen to the audio guide when you visit. With the original codices as a foundation, Da Vinci – The Genius brings to life the genius of Leonardo while providing you with exuberant amounts of information: including reproductions of his major art works, info on the history, politics, and society of his time, and a chance to see and in some cases touch prototypes of Leonardo's inventions, which were hand-built by Italian artisans.



For many artists, scientists, engineers, and innovators, Leonardo da Vinci is a great inspiration. His character teaches us to be courageous during the most hard-pressed times, to think critically about the world around us, and to share our knowledge with each other. We are certainly proud to be associated with his name!


Blog by Roxi A. Sharif
Photos 1, 2, and 4 by Caitlin Blue for The Blue Camera

Posted by The Leonardo at 10/10/2012 03:45:00 PM 0 comments