LONDON, Jan. 16 -- Works by one of the world's most famous artists, Leonardo da Vinci, are to go on display simultaneously at 12 British galleries to mark the 500th anniversary of his death in 1519.
The free exhibitions will be held as part of a nationwide event organized by Royal Collection Trust, in which 144 of the Renaissance master's greatest drawings in the Royal Collection will go on display in 12 simultaneous exhibitions, giving the widest-ever British audience the opportunity to see the work of this extraordinary artist.
The Royal Collection holds the finest surviving group of Leonardo's drawings, more than 550 sheets, that have been together since Leonardo's death. They were originally acquired by King Charles II around 1670.
Da Vinci was unique in his range of achievements, and drawing lay at the heart of his work. He drew to prepare his artistic projects, to record the world around him, to pursue his scientific speculations, and to make his imagination visible.
The 12 museums to host exhibitions between February 1 and May 6, are Ulster Museum Belfast, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, National Museum Cardiff, Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Leeds Art Gallery, Walker Art Gallery Liverpool, Manchester Art Gallery, Millennium Gallery Sheffield, Southampton City Art Gallery and Sunderland Museums & Winter Gardens.
The exhibition, Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing, will explore the diversity of subjects that inspired Leonardo's creativity across drawings.
Later in the year, from May 24 until October 13, an exhibition of over 200 da Vinci drawings will go on display in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace in London. On November 22 until March 15, 2020, an exhibition of 80 of the drawings will be held in the Queen's Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
Xanthe Brooke, curator of European Art, National Museums Liverpool, said: "Leonardo da Vinci is undoubtedly one of the most renowned and influential artists in history, having left a major impact within the disciples of both art and science. We're honored to be part of this wonderful showcase of drawings, creating a very special moment in the Walker's history.
"Through the exhibition and the lively events program accompanying it, we look forward to revealing more about the man behind the art and exploring the breadth of subjects that inspired him."
Drawings on show at the Walker in Liverpool will include The head of Leda, depicting Leda from Leda and the Swan, a popular story from Greek mythology. Also on display will be the artist's metal-point study of a horse, which was used to help him to build a clay model for a large bronze monument commissioned by the ruler of Milan.
Da Vinci was born near Florence in 1452 as the illegitimate son of a young lawyer and a teenage peasant girl. He began working as a painter at the age of 20, and would famously go on to paint such masterpieces as The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa.