Da Vinci: A Life in Drawing

In 2019 it was the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the greatest artists and scientists the world has known.For Leonardo, drawing lay at the heart of his creativity and his scientific explorations. He drew to prepare, record, explore, imagine, plan and experiment.

To mark this anniversary, The Royal Collection collaborated with 12 museums and galleries to stage simultaneous exhibitions of Leonardo’s drawings across the United Kingdom from 1 February – 6 May 2019. The Royal Collection holds the finest surviving group of Leonardo’s drawings but as paper is damaged by light, these drawings cannot be on permanent display. These exhibitions offered a rare opportunity to glimpse these delicate works in the flesh at locations around the UK.

One of the galleries chosen for the collaboration was Leeds Art Gallery. I was asked to be artist in residence here , working with families to explore a combination of observational, imaginative and inventive drawing styles and techniques.