The Virtual World of Leonardo da Vinci

The Leonardo da Vinci Painter and Architect Galleries at Château du Clos Lucé, the latest initiative in the Saint Bris mission to keep the memory of the Master alive, are an absolute triumph. Very impressive. Awesome in fact. They exceed expectations.

Here you will find the finest work of Leonardo. Seventeen of his most famous works are projected on the walls and ceiling. Works from private libraries such as Queen Elizabeth II, who has the largest private art collection in the world along with images from the Louvre, Uffizi, Vatican and National Galleries in London, St. Petersburg, Washington, Munich and Krakow.

Leonardo, no slouch himself in the immersive experience department (his were the talk of the town for years) would be tickled pink with digital technology. Not only has the Saint Bris family given a public face to his dream of immortality, it has done him full justice.

That it has pulled off a coup is no surprise, what is a surprise is that the galleries are in a building which has been there since 1847. Even more surprising is that it was a textile factory. Most surprising of all is that it was designed by Gustave Eiffel’s most serious competitor.

His name was Armand Moisant. If he had been given the commission to design a tower to advertise the 1889 World Fair in Paris he, not Eiffel, would be a household name. Coincidentally, Eiffel designed the Prestal building in Amboise.

Moisant designed the famous Menier chocolate factory. His technique for high-rise buildings was and still is a milestone in the history of architecture.

It would not be too fanciful to say that it’s to Armand Moisant, who was born and died in Neuillé-Pont-Pierre, not far from Clos Luce, we owe the sky scraper. One of his trainees was William Jenney, who, when he went back home to Chicago, designed the world’s first skyscraper.

Moisant would surely be pleased to know his old factory is now home to the greatest engineer of all. Leonardo too would surely nod in respect.

Since 1855, the Saint Bris family has immersed itself into what is almost a Crusade to preserve the Master’s memory. The galleries are said to have taken four years and 2.3 million euros. All concerned are to be congratulated. Château Clos Lucé is now more than a famous old manor house where François I grew up, more than Leonardo’s last home, it’s now a cultural centre in its own right.

Post by Pamela, photography by Mark.