Universal Leonardo

Thanks to Dan Brown, Leonardo da Vinci exhibitions are popping up all over Europe. Universal Leonardo began in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence back in March. Next, Oxford in England - 9 August to 5 November -, linking Christ Church Picture Gallery, the Ashmolean Museum, Magdalen College, the Museum of History of Science and the University of Oxford Botanic Garden in a Leonardo jamboree. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London will present Leonardo da Vinci: Experience, Experiment and Design from 14 September to 7 January 2007 as its contribution to Universal Leonardo. The Annunciation is a poor example of his art. It looks as though a paparazzo disguised as an angel is shooting video footage of Mary while she calls for help. "Guards! There's a pesky paparazzo in the garden! Kindly turf him out!" Genius or not, Leonardo was Early Renaissance and he still hadn't figured out perspective.