An exhibition of 10 of Leonardo da Vinci’s finest drawings, going on show from today, promises to make Dundee ”the finest venue for art in Scotland,” experts say.
The touring collection, at the McManus Galleries, will push the city to the forefront during its stay, according to Martin Clayton, senior curator of prints and drawings at the Royal Collection Trust.
Speaking at a preview of the exhibition, he said: ”The collection’s been about two years in the planning. We approached Dundee and they snapped our hands off because they are some of the greatest drawings in western art.
”It’s really an opportunity to get to grips with Leonardo. I hope this will be a boon to Dundee. It will make Dundee for a few months the finest venue for art in Scotland.”
The collection is making its only Scottish stop in the city as part of celebrations for the Queen’s diamond jubilee. Mr Clayton selected the 10 images to reflect the breadth of the Old Master’s talent.
The chosen drawings reflect Da Vinci’s explorations in anatomy and engineering, cartography and botany. Included is the iconic Head of Leda, one of the studies made for the lost painting Leda and the Swan.
The exhibition has already visited Bristol, Birmingham and Belfast, where it drew record crowds.
Jonathan Marsden, director of the Royal Collection, said it is part of the trust’s mission to exhibit the collection across the British Isles.
”It’s always been an ambition to show them as widely as we can,” he said. ”All the drawings of Leda are online and for the anatomical drawings there’s an iPad app, but you can’t beat having these things in the room because there’s a magic about being close to something Leonardo worked on and the actual paper he used.”
Speaking about the significance of the exhibition to Dundee, Ann Robertson, curator of fine and applied art at the McManus, said: ”It’s indescribable. There’s been a mounting level of excitement.
“Myself and my colleagues have studied art history, we’ve seen other exhibitions, but we’ve never worked on anything like this before. The level of excitement is unlike anything we’ve had before.”
Ms Robertson and her team only finished the presentation of the drawings on Thursday morning, but she said she needed to get it just right.
”For us it was all about the staging,” she said. ”We didn’t want anything to detract from the art.”
It is hoped the Da Vinci exhibition will garner the same level of interest as last summer’s visit of Titian’s 16th century masterpiece Diana and Actaeon, which drew up to 1,000 people a day.
Ms Robertson said: ”I think it will be very, very popular, but we just don’t know. We have an indication through Titian but we can’t put a figure on it.”
Lord Provost Bob Duncan, chairman of Leisure and Culture Dundee, said: ”It’s extremely exciting. We have been waiting a long time for this.
”It’s a small exhibition but it’s so comprehensive of his work. The man was a genius and the detail in these drawings is so phenomenal.”
Ten Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci opens today and runs until November 4.