Newcastle Laing Art Gallery is the first venue in the UK to host an exhibition of ten drawings by Leonardo da Vinci in the Royal Collection, which will travel from Windsor Castle to Tyneside for a new exhibition.
The ten drawings have been selected to show the scope of the artist’s interests, from painting and sculpture to engineering, mapmaking, zoology, botany and anatomy, as well as his use of different media – pen and ink, red and black chalks, watercolour and metalpoint.
Julie Milne, Chief Curator, Laing Art Gallery, said: “We are honoured to be the first venue to host this exhibition of ten Leonardo da Vinci drawings on its tour of the UK and Ireland.
“This will be a rare opportunity for people in the North East of England to see the exquisite work of one of the greatest artists of all time.
“We take pride in showcasing world-class art at the Laing Art Gallery and partnerships with esteemed organisations such as Royal Collection Trust are vital to helping us achieve this. We are very grateful to be given this opportunity.”
There are almost 600 drawings by Leonardo da Vinci in the Royal Collection. They were originally bound into a single album, which was probably acquired in the 17th century by Charles II.
The exhibition is from February 13 to April 24 2016.