Attleboro Arts Museum’s Art Lovers Book Club PresentsLeonardo da Vinci
By Walter Issacson
Saturday, October 19th, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Featuring a screening of the documentary Ginevra’s Story: Solving the Mysteries of Leonardo da Vinci’s First Known Portrait
Free and open to all.
On Saturday, October 19th, from 2:00 pm-4:00 pm, the Art Lovers Book Club will discuss Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Issacson. The event will launch with a screening of the documentary Ginevra’s Story: Solving the Mysteries of Leonardo da Vinci’s First Known Portrait, narrated by Meryl Streep.
About Leonardo da Vinci Walter Issacson, author of biographies on Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Steve Jobs, brings Leonardo da Vinci to life by drawing on 7,200 pages of his remarkable notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work. Isaacson’s narrative connects Leonardo’s art to his science and shows how his genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves – passionate curiosity, careful observation and a playful imagination.
About Ginevra’s Story Ginevra de’ Benci, the first portrait by Leonardo da Vinci, conceals a multitude of secrets. Utilizing technology, this film delves beneth the surface of the painting to unveil stories about both Ginerva and Leonardo. Narrated by Meryl Streep, the documentary answers questions such as: who was Ginerva, and how did Leonardo come to paint her; why was the panel painted on both sides; how was it drastically cut-down; why was it sealed in a wine cellar; and what mysterious chain of events brought it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC?
Ginevra de’ Benci [obverse] by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1474/1478, oil on panel. National Gallery of Art.
Reservations for the Art Lovers Book Club are not required, but are appreciated. Please call 508-222-2644 x 10 or email office@attleboroartsmuseum.org by October 18th.
Guests are not required to have read “Leonardo da Vinci” to attend. Many participants first attend the Museum’s book club meetings and then read the selected text.
The October 19th event is presented with support from the Jo and Tony Nyzio Visiting Lecturer Fund. Technical equipment for The Art Lovers Book Club is supported in part by a grant from the local cultural councils of Attleboro, North Attleborough and Norton, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.