DaVinci and Michelangelo: Together again in Bradenton

Three years ago, an installation titled the “DaVinci Machines Exhibition” came to the Bradenton Auditorium. The exhibition had been in much larger cities previously, but was more successful here than in St. Louis and Denver. It drew thousands of people from all over Florida to downtown Bradenton.

Some months later, the people behind that exhibition opened another, called “Divine Michelangelo and DaVinci: Side by Side,” which also was a hit with locals and visitors.

Mark Rodgers, the curator of those two exhibits, is now touring the country with a multimedia theater production titled “DaVinci and Michelangelo: The Titans Experience.” It’s returning to the Manatee Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with four performances that benefit the Manatee Performing Arts Scholarship Program.

Rodgers hosts the presentation, which incorporates movies, 3D-animations of machines and inventions and images of codices, artwork, paintings and sculptures.

Besides being two of the greatest artistic geniuses of all time, DaVinci and Michelangelo were contemporaries (DaVinci was 20 years older) and personal and professional rivals, whose lives and reputations intersected. They reputedly disliked each other intensely and took very different approaches to art.

Details: Dec. 28-30, Stone Hall at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. $27 and $37. 941-748-5875, manateeperformingartscenter.com.

This story was originally published December 27, 2017 at 3:51 PM with the headline "DaVinci and Michelangelo: Together again in Bradenton."