Leonardo’s exhibit at Italian Embassy in Paris

FLORENCE, ITALY – An exhibit at the Italian embassy in Paris is celebrating the 500th anniversary of the arrival in France of Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci. The show named Leonardo in France – The Master and his Pupils 500 years after crossing the Alps runs through November 20, 2016.

The exhibit gives an insight into Leonardo’s journey and his last years in Amboise, where Francis I, France’s great Renaissance king, had invited da Vinci, letting him use the stately home Manoir du Cloux close to the king’s Chteau d’Amboise, and where the great genius died on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67.

Showcasing some of Leonardo’s most interesting masterpieces, including Head of a Woman (also known as La Scapigliata, from the collection of Parma’s National Gallery), the exhibit focuses on his French period and vies to compare his work with that of his closest pupils including Francesco Melzi, who travelled with him to France.

Also on display are paintings by Gian Giacomo Caprotti, known as Salai, who later joined Leonardo in Amboise. Melzi’s and Salai’s artworks, lent by a number of leading Italian museums including Florence’s Uffizi, will be showcased for the first time together.

The exhibit was officially inaugurated last week by Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini and his French counterpart Audrey Azoulay and takes place under the patronage of the Italian and French presidents, Sergio Mattarella and Francois Hollande.

The show is open every day for free (from 11 am until 5 pm) at the Italian embassy in the Hotel de la Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville, in Rue de Varenne.