The Da vinci Legacy
If you love art and history, this is an excellent read that you’re sure to enjoy.
Manhattan Book Review
A new illustrated book—The Da Vinci Legacy—tells the untold story of how Leonardo da Vinci, who died exactly 500 years ago in France, became the pop icon he is today. The book has also inspired a new film, The Search for the Mona Lisa, narrated by Morgan Freeman. The film airs on Public Television stations throughout the United States.
This read elegantly separates the work and legacy from the man of mystery, and in doing so provides an enjoyable stroll through some of the highlights of art history… Read this lovely book and rediscover the magnificent talent of the original Renaissance man.
GoodReads, March 1, 2019
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To mark the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death on May 2, 2019, this new book lifts the veil on an enduring mystery: how did Leonardo, a painter of few works who died in obscurity in France while overshadowed by his rivals Michelangelo and Raphael, become the star icon that he is today? Find out more.
THE DALÍ LEGACY
“The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret.”
– Salvador Dalí
Noted art historians Dr. Christopher Heath Brown and Dr. Jean-Pierre Isbouts unravel the meaning of Dalí’s mysterious quote in their new book, THE DALÍ LEGACY: How an Eccentric Genius Changed the Art World and Created a Lasting Legacy (Apollo Publishers/February 23, 2021/$26.99). In this hardcover volume, with more than 150 full-color images, Brown and Isbouts reveal why Dalí’s visual wit and enduring cult of personality still impacts fashion, literature, and art to this day.
One of the most prolific artists of the 20th century, at turns beloved and reviled, Salvador Dalí was a pioneer in establishing himself as a brand—the archetype of the nonconformista, the dangerously provocative but always exciting genius, who could seamlessly blend erotic themes with religious iconography. His shocking behavior and zest for publicity frequently alienated critics as well as prominent Surrealists. And yet, as THE DALÍ LEGACY shows, Dalí’s work broke new ground in a number of ways that are only now receiving critical attention.
Leonardo’s Secret Passage
In Leonardo’s Secret Passage, the authors retrace Leonardo da Vinci’s footsteps through the Lower Alps north of Milan, in and around the town of Lecco, based on his detailed descriptions in the Codex Atlanticus as well as his many sketches and drawings. Along the way, the authors are able to identify many of the landmarks that would make a deep impression on Leonardo, including rock formations, caves, waterfalls and stunning views of the Grigna Massif, which would inspire the artist’s development of atmospheric perspective. Most importantly, the authors identify the cave that served as the model for Leonardo’s enigmatic painting of The Virgin of the Rocks, of which two versions exist today.
A number of symbols and emblems in local churches and other medieval structures also lead the explorers to uncover the important role of the Knights Templar in this region, including indications that Leonardo’s painting may have served as a mysterious map of a secret passage in an area of the Grigna mountain range known as the Alpe di Campione.
The Search For The Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of the Mona Lisa does not depict the Mona Lisa. That is the conclusion of a new TV special entitled The Search for the Mona Lisa, narrated by Morgan Freeman, based on the book The Da Vinci Legacy. The dramatized documentary stars Alessandro Demcenko as Leonardo.
Using newly discovered evidence, and featuring Italian star Alexandro Demcenko as Leonardo, the film is a thriller-like pursuit for the real identity of the most famous portrait in the world. Produced by Pantheon Studios, producers of the 2018 TV special The Search for the Last Supper, the film also features top Da Vinci experts from Europe and the US. These include Vincent Delieuvin, Curator at the Louvre; Arnold Nesselrath, Curator at the Vatican Museums; Larry Keith, Keeper and Conservator at the National Gallery (London); and Prof John Asmus, UC San Diego.”
Young Leonardo
Provocative and original, this fresh look at Leonardo da Vinci’s formative years in Milan provides a radically different scenario of how he created his signature style that would transform Western art forever. For example, Isbouts and Brown show that much of the Sforza patronage was directed on vast projects to which Leonardo never gained entry. As a result, his exceptional talent remained largely unrecognized right up to the Last Supper.
The Mona Lisa Myth
The Mona Lisa Myth tells the amazing story of how Leonardo was compelled to paint the now-famous portrait of a Florentine housewife, in order to secure the contract to paint the biggest fresco ever attempted in Florence. That fresco, now lost, depicted the Battle of Anghiari in the Palazzo della Signoria, today called the Palazzo Vecchio. But surprisingly, it was the portrait of M(ad)onna Lisa that would establish his fame as a leading artist of the High Renaissance.