Tour Extended. Accepting Bookings Now!

Leonardo da Vinci is celebrated as a painter, sculptor, musician, architect, engineer and anatomist.  Most enduring to his legacy are his inventions and designs. Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion presents 40 full-scale machines that were built after in-depth study of Leonardo da Vinci’s designs by a group of scientists and skilled craftsmen in Florence, Italy.  Its uniqueness lies in the fact that many of the mechanisms are life-sized and fully operational. Visitors may touch and set them in motion, combining a fascinating hands-on experience with an exploration of the principles he employed to create each machine.The machines are grouped into four sections based upon applications linked to the elements–air, water, land and fire–which held a strong fascination for Leonardo da Vinci. Exhibits include such visionary inventions as the helicopter and glider, the armored tank, the drive transmission, the printing press and the bicycle. Most of the materials used in the construction of these machines were available in Leonardo da Vinci’s era, and are the ones proposed by him in his codices, including wood, rope and glue. The materials were crafted by hand (using tools prescribed by the master himself), and then reinforced for the traveling exhibition.

Click below to read local reviews:

• Renaissance’s dream machines
• Leonardo da Vinci machines ‘like works of art’
• Witte exhibit makes Leonardo designs a reality
• See video of Machines in Motion in San Antonio

Current Venue:

Schenectady, New York
MiSci
May 25, 2024 – September 2, 2024

Past Venues:
Museo Tecnologico, Mexico City, Mexico
Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas
South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, South Carolina
McWane Science Center, Birmingham, Alabama
Mayborn Museum Complex, Waco, Texas
Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Strategic Air and Space Museum, Ashland, Nebraska
Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana
Museum Tecnologico, Mexico City
Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, NY
California Univeristy of Pennsylvania, California, PA
Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg, PA
The History Museum at the Castle
Elliott Museum, Stuart, FL
Space Center Houston, Houston, TX
Springs Preserve, Las Vegas, NV
Discovery Science Place/UT Tyler, Tyler, TX
The University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, TX
Planetario Alfa, Monterrey, MX
Connecticut Science Center, Hartford, CT
Aerospace Museum of California McClellan, CA
Texas Museum Science & Technology, Austin, TX
George Bush Library, College Station, TX
The Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX
Tellus Science Museum, Cartersville, GA
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, West Branch, IA
National Museum of the USAF, Wright-Patterson AFB (Dayton)
Montshire Museum, Norwich, VT
Grey Roots Museum & Archives, Owen Sound, ON
Cade Museum for Creativity + Invention, Gainesville, FL
Gateway Science Museum, Chico, CA
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Ashland, NE

Lease Information:
Call Christi Klingelhefer at 210-599-0045.