FOR RELEASE: June 2, 2026 Contact: Cora Zaletel, (719) 253-2323

World’s leading Leonardo da Vinci experts gather in Pueblo as part of museum opening

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Pueblo, CO -- Three of the world’s leading experts on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci will be featured in “Inside the Mind of a Genius: Conversations with da Vinci Scholars” beginning at 7 p.m. on June 11 in Exhibit Hall B of the Pueblo Convention Center. The event is being held as part of Grand Opening activities for the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum of North America, which will occur at 10 a.m. the following day at 310 Central Main in downtown Pueblo.

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The interactive conversation will feature international scholars Martin Kemp, Dr. Sara Tagliagamba and Waqas Ahmed and local celebrity Craig Eliot.

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“The gathering of these global Leonardo da Vinci experts would be a coup in any setting,” said Joe Arrigo, Founder and President of the museum, “But to have this occur as part of our grand opening activities is beyond my wildest imagination.”  

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Professor Martin Kemp, British art historian and exhibition curator, is one of the world's leading authorities and authors on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci and the intersection between art and science from the Renaissance to the present day. Kemp served as a professor at the University of Oxford from 1995 until his retirement in 2008, after which he became Emeritus Professor. Some writers call him “the most influential living interpreter of Leonardo” because of how he reshaped how scholars think about the artist. His key contribution is the idea that Leonardo’s art and science are inseparable, a perspective many scholars now take seriously.

Academic reviewers say his scholarship is valued for explaining how Leonardo thought visually and scientifically. He continues to engage in writing, speaking, and broadcasting on these subjects. Kemp will provide answers to some of Eliot’s questions from his home in England.  

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Dr. Sara Taglialagamba is a professor of History of Science in the Renaissance at the University of Urbino in Italy. Her work is focused on the technical and scientific aspects of Leonardo, rather than purely art-historical interpretation. She is the author of many books and articles, primarily focused on Leonardo’s engineering and hydraulic systems. She has held fellowships and visiting appointments at UCLA and the Museo Galileo in Florence and is executive director of the Rossana & Carlo Pedretti Foundation, which is linked to Carlo Pedretti (1928-2018), one of the leading scholars on the life and achievements of Leonardo.  She is editor of the academic series “Leonardo Studies” and a member of Ente Raccolta Vinciana, a key institution for Leonardo research.  

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Waqas Ahmed is the Founder and CEO of The DaVinci Network, dedicated to promoting multidisciplinary lateral thinking. He is an interdisciplinary author, educator, and global authority on versatile thought and innovation with an academic background in economics, international relations, and neuroscience. In his book Polymath: Unlocking the Power of Human Versatility (2019), Ahmed uses Leonardo as a central example of what he calls a polymath,  or someone who contributes meaningfully to multiple fields (art, science, engineering, anatomy, etc.) and embodies intellectual curiosity without boundaries. Ahmed argues that Renaissance figures like Leonardo thrived because they were not forced into narrow disciplines.

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Book signings with Talialagamba and Ahmed will take place following the presentation.  

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