The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) has announced two exhibitions opening in October 2015: Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester and the Creative Mind and The Worlds of M. C. Escher: Nature, Science, and Imagination. The Codex Leicester—the only manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci in North America—will travel to the NCMA as part of a national tour to three museums. The Worlds of M. C. Escher will feature approximately 125 drawings, woodcuts, wood engravings, lithographs, mezzotints, and watercolors from Escher’s entire career.

“This is going to be an exciting fall at the Museum—an incredibly rare opportunity for our visitors to see not only centuries-old writings and sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, but also the work of M. C. Escher, another observer of nature and a perfect modern counterpart to da Vinci,” says NCMA Director Lawrence J. Wheeler. “These exhibitions will thrill art lovers and science lovers alike, and we hope that all visitors leave with a piqued curiosity, an ignited imagination, and a desire to more closely observe the world around them.” 

The Codex Leicester, a 500-year-old notebook from inventor, scientist, and artist Leonardo da Vinci, is composed of 36 folios, each written on the front and back and illustrated with sketches of the topics Leonardo is discussing. It is the only manuscript by da Vinci in North America. The notes, written in his distinctive “mirror writing,” provide a glimpse into the artist’s scientific mind, revealing his intellectual curiosity and observations on nature. The Codex Leicester focuses on his thoughts and beliefs about water, astronomy, light, and mechanics.

An interactive display will allow visitors to explore a translation of the text on computer screens. Additionally, modern and contemporary works that complement the themes and ideas revealed in the Codex Leicester will be on view.

Comprising approximately 125 woodcuts, lithographs, wood engravings, and mezzotints, as well as numerous drawings, watercolors, woodblocks, and lithographic stones never before exhibited, The Worlds of M. C. Escher will survey Escher’s entire career, from his earliest print to his final masterpiece. The exhibition will highlight Escher’s explorations of nature, mathematics, science, and the realm of his imagination. Escher’s best-known prints will be on view, as well as his lesser-known portraits and Italian landscapes. It will be the most comprehensive Escher exhibition ever presented in the United States.

The works are on loan from leading public and private Escher collections, including those at the National Gallery of Art and the National Gallery of Canada.

The Worlds of M. C. Escher: Nature, Science, and Imagination

October 17, 2015−January 17, 2016

Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester and the Creative Mind

October 31, 2015−January 17, 2016

EThe Codex Leicester is on loan from Bill Gates. This exhibition is made possible, in part, by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources; the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc.; and the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment for Educational Exhibitions. Research for this exhibition was made possible by Ann and Jim Goodnight/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fund for Curatorial and Conservation Research and Travel.

The Worlds of M. C. Escher is organized by the North Carolina Museum of Art.

• Presenting Sponsor: Duke Energy
• Participating Sponsor: Lord Corporation

This exhibition is also made possible, in part, by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources; the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc.; and the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment for Educational Exhibitions. Research for this exhibition was made possible by Ann and Jim Goodnight/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fund for Curatorial and Conservation Research and Travel.