rev:text
| - Leonardo Da Vinci - Genius. Me - Not so much.
Clearly, I am not a mastermind like Da Vinci because I actually paid for the Da Vinci - The Genius exhibition at the Venetian Hotel's Imagine Exhibitions Gallery. Olivia and I thought we were getting a deal, but even with a $5 coupon (from those little "welcome suckers...I mean tourists" booklets in all the taxis) the discounted $22 per person simply isn't worth it.
The 20 minutes it takes to walk through the display slowly while reading each description means you are paying more than a $1 a minute. So, what exciting DaVinci artifacts do you see for that rate? None. Like most things in Vegas, the exhibits are just replicas or small versions of the real thing.
The exhibition has two narrow rooms with the first detailing the timeline of historical events during Da Vinci's life and then exhibiting modern replicas based on some of his drawings. Many of the exhibits are hands on, so, be ready to touch and play. Da Vinci was a true genius and this portion makes it very clear.
The second room has a large wall projection of the Mona Lisa and a list of secret facts uncovered during an HD image capture of the famous artwork a few years ago. Is it cool to see sections of the Mona Lisa highlighted and oddities pointed out? Sure. Is it nice to see what the painting probably looked like before age faded her beauty? Sure. Is it worth $27 (or just $22)? No, it isn't. The last part of the final room has a large wall projection video of DaVinci's Last Supper painting. It was short and didn't offer any new insight. It seemed to be experiencing technical difficulties with playback and color when we went through.
Everyone should admire, celebrate, and respect the life and creativity of Da Vinci. His impact as an inventor, artist, architect, engineer, and true renaissance man is probably unparalleled. My advice is to do so, but just not at the Venetian Hotel Imagine Exhibtions Gallery unless you are super bored with everything else Vegas has to offer for fun, entertainment, or relaxation.
I'm not sure if Da Vinci was the first to say "There's a sucker born every minute.", but he probably was. Don't be that sucker by forking over cash for the Da Vinci - The Genius exhibit.
|