What Would Leonardo Da Vinci Think of the Future?

On the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo, an archaeologist and curator imagines the inventor and artist teleported to our time

This red chalk drawing, circa 1515, is considered by many experts to be a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. Image: Internet Archive Book Images/Flickr

By Stephen E. Nash

He sketched prototypes for a robot, a helicopter, a tank, and a submarine centuries before they were invented. He correctly proposed how the heart pumps blood and that some fossils he found were ancient oceanic creatures. He dissected bodies and studied optics to create the visual illusions on one of the world’s most famous paintings, the “Mona Lisa.” Leonardo da Vinci was a scientific genius, a masterful artist, and a technological wizard.

May 2, 2019, marks the 500th anniversary of the polymath’s death. This spring and summer, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS), where I work, is hosting Leonardo da Vinci: 500 Years ofGenius. As curator of the exhibition, I’ve spent a lot of time studying the man, his myriad achievements, and the scholarly and historical context in which he worked. Leonardo’s contributions are numerous and stunning — highly detailed anatomical drawings, amazing maps, sinister military machines, essential engineering devices, and remarkable theatrical props. And that’s before we mention the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, or Vitruvian Man.