I applaud the reasoning behind the National Gallery’s exhibition Leonardo: Experience a Masterpiece. People often spend just seconds in front of a great painting; here is an opportunity to spend some serious time. The National Gallery is celebrating the 700th anniversary of Leonardo’s death by focusing on its version of the Virgin of the Rocks, which it has owned for nearly 140 years, in a one-painting “immersive exhibition”. It’s a bold move – but it doesn’t come off.
Four rooms lead off a central atrium. The first, “The mind of Leonardo”, has a mountain view behind small mirrored boxes, which contain quotations from Leonardo in his backwards writing; you have to squint sideways to read them in a mirror. It’s a fun idea for a single display – but for a quarter of the exhibition?
