If you have a chance to visit Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., this summer, make sure to take advantage of it. That way, you will be able to marvel at Leonardo da Vinci’s rare sketches that are exhibited in the United States for the first time ever.
The sketches were taken from Codex Atlanticus, Da Vinci’s legendary collection that features some of his most notable drawings. They have been permanently housed at Biblioteca Ambrosianal in Milan, Italy, since 1637 but recently arrived in the United States thanks to a library partnership initiated by the Italian national chamber of commerce, Confindustria.
A total of 12 of Da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus sketches made the trip to Washington, and they will remain on display until August 20. After that, they will return to Italy and be placed in total darkness for three years.
According to D.C. Public Library Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan, this is a unique opportunity for art enthusiasts to see something they will have no opportunity to see again in their lifetime.
“Many people consider Leonardo da Vinci not only one of the greatest minds of our history but the [greatest]. Most of his work is in these notebooks,” Reyes-Gavilan told the Huffington Post. “It’s not the sort of thing that you can just sort of stumble upon if you’re visiting New York or Chicago or somewhere else.”
