The Science Museum of Virginia's "Da Vinci Alive" exhibition uses multimedia elements to tell about the artist/inventor/scientist/architect/engineer/musician. (Image courtesy Grande Exhibitions)
As summer comes to a close, two major exhibitions are nearing the end of their Richmond dates: “Da Vinci Alive — The Experience” and “Yves Saint Laurent: the Perfection of Style.” Both offer insight into extraordinarily creative lives.
Open through Sept. 7, "Da Vinci Alive" represents a shift for the Science Museum of Virginia, known for its colorful, interactive displays. While still child-friendly, this exhibition represents an effort to attract more adults, with panels to read and models of Leonardo Da Vinci's inventions to examine. It’s also the first exhibition in the Science Museum’s 21,000-square-foot Dewey Gottwald Center, which opened April 8.
Walk through the exhibition to learn more about Da Vinci and his artwork, his ideas on flight, machines he invented and more. In one section, visitors are surrounded by Renaissance music and projected videos of Da Vinci's work. The show concludes with a large display on his famous “Mona Lisa” painting. Museum spokeswoman Courtney Moyer says she hopes people walk out saying, “I had no clue he did all that.”
The exhibition has been popular enough that the Science Museum kept it open on Friday evenings; a celebratory farewell event, Happy Hour With Da Vinci, is planned for Sept. 1, featuring drinks and food-truck fare.
A wall displays Yves Saint Laurent's collection boards spanning more than four decades. (David Stover/Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
This Sunday, Aug. 27, is the last time to see the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Yves Saint Laurent exhibition, its only appearance on the East Coast. Beginning with paper dolls that Saint Laurent designed in his youth, the exhibition opens a window to his personal life and creative process over more than four decades. Some of the pieces on display have never been shown to the public.
The interplay between fashion and fine art is evident in pieces such as Saint Laurent’s homages to Tom Wesselmann (whose work is in the VMFA’s collection) and Piet Mondrian. As museum spokesman Anthony Backherms notes, “Fine arts can be lots of different things to lots of different people.”
Although attendance figures won’t be released until after the exhibition closes, Backherms says the show has brought tens of thousands to the museum. “Traditionally we see a dip in attendance just after the mid-point of an exhibition’s run, but this show has remained strong week to week and has not slowed down at any point. As with all exhibitions at VMFA, our attendance increased significantly in the final two weeks, and we expect that attendance for YSL will continue to pick up throughout the next few days.”
Tickets to “Da Vinci Alive” are $25, with a $1 discount for youth and seniors, or $7 for museum members. On Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m., tickets are $10. ($7 for members). For more information, visit tickets.smv.org or call 804-864-1400.
Admission to “Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style” is $22 for adults, $18 for seniors, $10 for students with a school or college ID, and free for VMFA members, children 6 and younger and active-duty military personnel and their families. Tickets can be purchased at vmfa.museum or by calling 804-340-1405.
