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Da Vinci – The Genius demonstrates the full scope of Leonardo da Vinci’s remarkable innovations as an inventor, artist, anatomist, sculptor, engineer, musician and architect. The exhibition required more than 10 years to complete and features a vast array of full-scale inventions built according to his personal codices (notebooks); reproductions of his most famous Renaissance paintings, including the Mona Lisa, Virgin of the Rocks and The Annunciation; detailed anatomical sketches; the preparatory drawings for the Battle of Anghiari; and custom video presentations.

Among the exhibition’s highlights is the section Secrets of Mona Lisa, which includes images showcasing the work of French engineer optician Pascal Cotte. His lifelong passion for the study and preservation of the Mona Lisa led him to invent a cutting-edge, 240-megapixel, multispectral imaging camera that uses patented infrared technology and intense illumination to scan a painting and virtually peel away layers of varnish applied over centuries. With his camera, Cotte was able to uncover how Mona Lisa looked as she was originally painted, distinguishing between layers of over-painting, restoration and attempts at preservation, and identifying the individual pigments used by Da Vinci. Cotte was granted unprecedented access to the Mona Lisa through the cooperation of the Ministry of Culture in France and The Louvre Museum. He photographed the painting out of its protective casing and frame and scientifically examined the images. His findings can be studied on high-resolution prints, the largest a 14ft x 10ft infra-red image of the Mona Lisa.

The inventions on display will focus on the following themes: Physics & Mechanical Principles, Civil Machines, Flight Studies Machines, Military Machines, Hydraulic Machines, Musical Instruments and an insight into the “Secrets of Mona Lisa.” The exhibition includes Da Vinci’s visions for the glider, parachute, precursor to the modern helicopter, forerunner of the modern military tank, automobile, submarine, ball bearing and gear systems, among other inventions that were far ahead of their time.

The National Geographic Museum, at 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Dec. 25. Admission is free. For information on “Da Vinci – The Genius,” the public should call (202) 857-7588 or visit www.nationalgeographic.com/museum.