Some of the most important drawings of the human body ever created will be presented at the Vancouver Art Gallery starting on Saturday — and visitors can see the works for free.
Leonardo da Vinci’s Anatomical Manuscript A, a series of detailed sketches considered to have been seminal in the artistic and medical community, has not been on display in its entirety in 500 years.
“This is a milestone in the gallery’s 79-year history,” said Kathleen Bartels, director of the gallery.
“The drawings … reveal the beauty and wonder of the human body in ways that had never been conceived before. I can’t imagine a more fitting presentation that celebrates athleticism (during the Games).”
The series of 240 drawings was created during the winter of 1510 and, five centuries on, physicians still refer to the drawings
“The drawings are not just historical curiosities,” said Martin Clayton with the Royal Collection, and the exhibition’s curator. “They’re quite simply the finest anatomical illustrations that have ever been made.”
The exhibit runs until May 2, and is free to the public during the Olympic Games.
