Confindustria brings 12 Leonardo da Vinci Drawings to Washington DC

On June 21 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown Washington, DC, the Imagining the future. Leonardo da Vinci: in the mind of an Italian genius exhibit will open. This is the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the Atlantic Codex in the USA.

The exhibit is spearheaded by Confindustria (the largest business association representing manufacturing and service companies in Italy), together with the partner companies (Intesa Sanpaolo main partner; ITA Airways official carrier; 24ORE Cultura; Dolce&Gabbana; Dompè; Pirelli; Trenitalia; and the DC Public Library), with the curatorship of Alberto Rocca, Director of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C. and the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington D.C.

From June 21 to August 20, 2023, Library visitors will have the extremely rare opportunity to view Leonardo da Vinci sketches and notes dating to the 1400s, not seen in the United States until now. Twelve autograph drawings selected from the 1,119 sheets that make up the Codex.

The exhibit bears witness to the life intellectual of the Italian Master from 1478 to 1519, and retraces the themes most studied by Leonardo: mechanics, flight, hydraulics, perpetual motion, and the development of machines and gears. The philosophy of genius was based on observation and experimentation, which represent the cornerstones of Italian entrepreneurship.

On June 21, the President of Confindustria, Carlo Bonomi, will open a new office in Washington – the first in the U.S. – which follows the "Confindustria in the world" project with the aim of facilitating and boosting the internationalization of Italian industry.

Alongside the exhibit, the Library is hosting “Leonardo’s Lab,” an interactive exhibition developed by the Carnegie Science Center, with the opportunity for children and guys (6-14 years) to participate in activities like constructing structures with wooden slats, exploring aerodynamics with homemade 'ornithopters' and testing their skills at reverse writing on mounted chalkboards. Leonardo’s Lab is brought to us by the DC Public Library Foundation.

Imagining the Future will be open during regular Library hours and is free to the public. The exhibit closes on August 20, 2023. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is located at 901 G St. NW Washington, D.C., near the Metro Center and Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stations.

Due to the high level of interest in Imagining the Future, visitors may encounter a wait to enter the exhibit.