The Echo

Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Culture

Media Credit: Brittany Shaw Reale: Patrons line up to view the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit.

As it turns out, there is something in Alabama even better than its 11-0 football team: the Birmingham Museum of Art.

While the exhibit is home to an eclectic array of art forms, from furniture to Mayan artifacts, the exhibit that inspired me to go was the set of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings from Biblioteca Reale in Turin, Italy. The exhibit was from September 29 through November 9. This was the first time the drawings were shown in the U.S. I caught the exhibit on the final day, as did hundreds of other art patrons. Although there was nearly a two-hour wait, the exhibit was definitely worth it. According to the museum's Web site, the collection "encompasses one of Leonardo's most celebrated notebooks, the Codex on the Flight of Birds, and 11 important drawings, including one described by Bernard Berenson as the 'most beautiful drawing in the world.'"

An admirer of Leonardo's many interests and skills, I never expected to be so completely awed by what at first glance appear to be simplistic sketches. A closer look is all it took to realize they are anything but. Just an easy drive of approximately two and a half hours away, the free museum makes a great day trip.

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