The Leonardo da Vinci Society of the Bay Area is celebrating its 70th Anniversary. It

was founded by Italiaphiles who were captivated by the genius of Leonardo. The

Society will be sponsoring and co-sponsoring a number of events honoring and

commemorating the 500th Anniversary of he Master’s death.

What makes Leonardo’s death worth celebrating. Why do we honor a 15th century

man of illegitimate birth who was born and grew up in the insignificant town of

Vinci in Tuscany, was denied a Classical Education and never mastered the lan-

guage of the intelligencia of his period, Latin. The only formal training he had was

in art, under the tutelage of the artist Andrea del Verrocchio in whose workshop

he labored from the age of 15 to 25. Only 15 or 16 unsigned painting are attribut-

ed to Leonardo and many of these are unfinished, but they are pivotal to the evo-

lution of Western Art.

Leonardo was a man driven by curiosity of all he encountered and by the impetus to invent new and heretofore un-

heard of things. He experimented constantly, studied and wrote about the nature of water currents, the wind and

was intent on discovering the laws of nature. His anatomical studies are remarkable, especially since he uncovered

many anatomical errors that had been passed down for centuries as established facts. He was enchanted by ma-

chines and invented many, including machines that could not really work for centuries more to come, such

as a flying machine.

He uncovered many principles of nature that were not recognized during his time and that had to be redis-

covered centuries later. He had a vision of the future that few people have ever equaled. So, it is this

unique curiosity and ingenuity that characterized the man and his extraordinary accomplishments that we

honor and celebrate. Leonardo was the quintessential Renaissance Man.

Leonardo 500 Award The Leonardo Da Vinci Society San Francisco and the Italian Scientists and Scholars

of North America Foundation (ISSNAF) Bay Area Chapter are seeking applications

for the 2019 Leonardo 500 Award. This award is established on the 500th anniver-

sary of Leonardo da Vinci ‘s death to recognize Italian or Italian American early career researchers working in

the San Francisco Bay Area. The winner will be presented with an award certificate and a $1,000 prize at our

annual Gala Dinner April 5th 2019.

New Deadline February 15 2019

Info: www.davincisanfrancisco.com/2019/01/ldvsaward/

Newsletter January - June 2019

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11th at 6:00pm

Leonardo’s Knots By author Caroline Cocciardi Publisher: Mona Lisa Knot (2019)

The Commonwealth Club 110 The Embarcadero

Reservations: www.commonwealthclub.org/

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15th at 6:30pm

Becoming Leonardo: An exploded view on the life of Leonardo (Melville House) By author Mike Lankford Organized by The Leonardo da Vinci Society in collaboration with Museo Italo Americano

Museo Italo Americano, Fort Mason, Building C Reservations: www.davincisanfrancisco.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19th at 6:30pm

Living with Leonardo: Fifty Years of Sanity and Insanity in the Art World and Beyond A lecture by Prof. Martin Kemp Organized by Stanford University

Cantor Arts Center, Stanford Info: https://arts.stanford.edu/

On the 70th Anniversary of its foundation, The Leonardo da Vinci Society San Francisco and The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco are proud to announce a series of events planned and launched under the auspices of

the Consulate General of Italy, in collaboration with Humanities West, ISSNAF, the Museo Italo Americano, the

Commonwealth Club and Stanford University celebrating the

Leonardo 500 Anniversary 2018 preview organized by The Leonardo da Vinci Society*

October 27th Carlo Vecce Leonardo Lost Library - Museo Italo Americano

November 16th Massimo Paltrinieri Leonardo, a precursor of Artificial Intelligence - IIC

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21st at 6:00pm

Salvator Mundi A lecture by Prof. Martin Kemp Organized by Commonwealth Club

The Commonwealth Club 110 The Embarcadero

Reservation: www.commonwealthclub.org/

FRIDAY/SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd and 23rd

Creating Leonardo: Commemorating 500 Years of Leonardo’s Legacy

A 2 days program organized by Humanities West

Marines’ Memorial Theatre 609 Sutter St.

Reservation: http://humanitieswest.net/ Discount Tickets for LDV members code: DaVinciSociety

THURSDAY, MARCH 14th at 6:30pm Mona Lisa Smile: The question of Leo-nardo’s Women, from Vasari to Freud and the Digital Age by Prof. Henrike Lange, UC Berkeley

Organized by The Leonardo da Vinci Society in collaboration with The Italian Cultural Institute

Reservation: www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20th at 6:30pm

Lynn Harris on Isaacson Book Leonardo Organized by Humanities West

The Commonwealth Club 110 The Embarcadero

Reservation: www.commonwealthclub.org/

SATURDAY, MARCH 23rd (4pm to 10pm)

Celebrate the Legacy of Leonardo thru Food Presented by Prof. Ken Albala

Organized by Humanities West At the Civic Kitchen

Reservation: http://humanitieswest.net/

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27th at 6:30pm

Leonardo’s Books. New Light on Leonardo’s Intellectual World Conference of Prof. Carlo Vecce (University of Naples “L’Orientale”) Organized by The Italian Cultural Institute

Reservation: www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it

FRIDAY, APRIL 5th at 6pm

Leonardo da Vinci Society 500 Gala Dinner Award to 3 young scientists by LdVS & ISSNAF

Renaissance music trio by Roy Whelden - Gala Dinner –DJ

Reservation: www.davincisanfrancisco.com

THURSDAY, MAY 2nd (10am to 5pm)

Opening of the Exhibition Leonardo’s Lost Library: A Renaissance reader and his books.

Organized by Stanford University

Info: https://arts.stanford.edu/event/

MONDAY, MAY 6th at 6:30pm

Leonardo and his music Lecture by Prof. Kate von Orden (Harvard University) Organized by The Leonardo da Vinci Society in collaboration with The Italian Cultural Institute

Italian Cultural Institute San Francisco Reservation: www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it

TUESDAY, MAY 14th at 7pm

Museo Galileo, Florence, Kratter Visiting Professor, will present to wrap up our celebration of 500 years of Leonardo

The Signs of Time: Leonardo da Vinci’s History of the Earth and the Fate of Man.

Organized by Stanford University Cemex Auditorium, Stanford University

Info: http://web.stanford.edu/dept/HPSTcolloquia.html

The Leonardo Da Vinci Society Membership Application Form

Returning Members YES NO

(Circle and fill only if your address is change) New Member: Name _______________________________

Profession or Area of Interest ________________________________

Address _____________________________

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Regular Members Single $60 ___________________ Couple $100 __________________ College/Students under 25 Single $35 ___________________ Couple $70 ___________________ Additional Membership Supporting Member $120 __________ Argento $250 __________ Oro $500 __________ Platino $1,000 __________ Presenter Member $2,500 __________ Founder member $5,000 __________ We are a 501(c)3 and donations beyond regular membership are tax deductible.

Gifts are always welcome if you wish to help! Check on our webpage to register online or donate:

www.davincisanfrancisco.com

To Register or renew your membership, please send the above complete form with a check

payable to: The Leonardo da Vinci Society

PO BOX 5775 - San Francisco, CA 94147-5775

From The President

Dear members and friends,

The Leonardo da Vinci Society has regained in a very short time all its status benefits and is operating legally, without any intermission since 1949, under California law and Federal law. We are welcoming this year 2019 with a double celebration: Leonardo da Vinci 500 Anniversary of his Death and 70 Anniversary of our foundation.

Your support and your faithful attention is greatly appreciated. Grazie della costanza, pazienza ed affetto, Buon Anno!

Amelia Antonucci, President

Board of Directors:

Amelia Antonucci, President Carla Anisman

Vincent Fausone, Vice President Alessandro Baccari

Treasurer, Giovanni Iammarone Valentina Consolo

Mauro Aprile Zanetti, Program & Marketing Chair Laura Waste

Adele Salierno, Membership Chair Isabella Weiss di Valbranca

Laura Ambroseno Sabrina Longega Wilson