When I emerged from the Metro at Simonis, the leaf-strewn Parc Elisabeth was shrouded in mist and I could not make out the Koekelberg Basilica at the far end. It is not the easiest monument to misplace. It's the fifth largest church in the world. When it finally emerged from the mist, there were huge banners proclaiming the exhibition but not a soul in sight. For a brief moment I wondered whether I had got the wrong dates but I need not have worried. Once round the huge bulk of the church, I could see dozens of coaches and groups of students and tourists milling around.
The church is the perfect setting in as much as it offers a footprint of 3,000 square metres. The organisers claim that it is the most complete exhibition about Da Vinci ever held.
They have a point: You may have been to the Louvre, to the Turin Institute, to the tiny hamlet of Vinci in Tuscany - but even then, you will not come away with the sense of awe that overwhelms you after two hours of this amazing display, which brings together items from all over the world, including some that rarely, if ever, are seen in public.
Don't go expecting to see the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper (but you do get to gape at a life-size version of the latter); and the selfportrait was deemed too fragile to move at the last minute. But do not let this deter you because there are a handful of exquisite originals like the Mary Magdalene from a private collection that you will probably never see again, and the masterpiece Madonna of the Rocks - only discovered a century ago in a private collection.
But this is not what makes this exhibition so memorable: It is the fact that he is put into context. The exhibition is split into Leonardo the man, explaining why he used the name of his birthplace (he was an illegitimate son of a noble), with brief videos of the places where he lived and found inspiration, like Milan, Florence and Amboise.
Each stage of his life is given perspective through the original works of his peers, showing how he was always a step ahead the rest of the artistic world, whether through the never-finished bronze statue of the Duke of Sforza on horseback, or his ideas for the
Milan cathedral. Leonardo as an artist and as a humanist covers not only his paintings but also his sketches, with their amazing biographical detail (like the exquisite Vitruvian man).
Brought to Brussels from public and private collections are his notebooks - a truly memorable feat.
He was also an engineer - you enter this section over a fullscale, 20m high swivelling bridge and can see 45 models of his tanks, flying machines and helicopter, parachute and excavator.
The exhibition is worth a trip to Brussels - find some conference or other you need to attend and get there. So far, it has already attracted over 75,000 visitors.
No wonder. I was glad to be among them.
• The exhibition is part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. It is open until March 15, daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., staying open later till 9 p.m. on Wednesdays (except February when it closes at 7 p.m.)
http://www.expo-davinci.eu
The church is the perfect setting in as much as it offers a footprint of 3,000 square metres. The organisers claim that it is the most complete exhibition about Da Vinci ever held.
They have a point: You may have been to the Louvre, to the Turin Institute, to the tiny hamlet of Vinci in Tuscany - but even then, you will not come away with the sense of awe that overwhelms you after two hours of this amazing display, which brings together items from all over the world, including some that rarely, if ever, are seen in public.
Don't go expecting to see the Mona Lisa or the Last Supper (but you do get to gape at a life-size version of the latter); and the selfportrait was deemed too fragile to move at the last minute. But do not let this deter you because there are a handful of exquisite originals like the Mary Magdalene from a private collection that you will probably never see again, and the masterpiece Madonna of the Rocks - only discovered a century ago in a private collection.
But this is not what makes this exhibition so memorable: It is the fact that he is put into context. The exhibition is split into Leonardo the man, explaining why he used the name of his birthplace (he was an illegitimate son of a noble), with brief videos of the places where he lived and found inspiration, like Milan, Florence and Amboise.
Each stage of his life is given perspective through the original works of his peers, showing how he was always a step ahead the rest of the artistic world, whether through the never-finished bronze statue of the Duke of Sforza on horseback, or his ideas for the
Milan cathedral. Leonardo as an artist and as a humanist covers not only his paintings but also his sketches, with their amazing biographical detail (like the exquisite Vitruvian man).
Brought to Brussels from public and private collections are his notebooks - a truly memorable feat.
He was also an engineer - you enter this section over a fullscale, 20m high swivelling bridge and can see 45 models of his tanks, flying machines and helicopter, parachute and excavator.
The exhibition is worth a trip to Brussels - find some conference or other you need to attend and get there. So far, it has already attracted over 75,000 visitors.
No wonder. I was glad to be among them.
• The exhibition is part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. It is open until March 15, daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., staying open later till 9 p.m. on Wednesdays (except February when it closes at 7 p.m.)
http://www.expo-davinci.eu