Martin Kemp

‘This book leads you on a journey through the life, work and legacy of one of history’s most intriguing figures. Kemp emerges as a guide you feel you can trust’ — The Times

Martin Kemp has spent his life with Leonardo da Vinci. He is the scholar called on to verify potentially undiscovered works, the voice of authority invoked most often in Walter Isaacson’s recent biography of Leonardo, and an emeritus professor of both Oxford and St Andrews.

Living with Leonardo is, in part, an exploration of Kemp’s career as an art historian working on one of the most famous artists and polymaths in history. But more than this, it is an insight into the tangled arguments, conflicting interests, and dubious claims of the art world, as well as a showcase of Leonardo’s astounding work: from painting to pyrotechnics, via military strategy, anatomy, and geometry. An unparalleled guide to this most famous man, Kemp is an excellent speaker.

Martin will be joined on stage by fellow St Andrean, Robert Crawford, whose eighth collection of poems, The Scottish Ambassador, will be published by Cape in August.