Blockbuster Louvre show honors da Vinci

PARIS - A blockbuster retrospective of Leonardo da Vinci's works will open on Thursday at the Louvre museum to mark 500 years since the death of the Renaissance master in the historic town of Amboise, France.

Nearly 200,000 people have already reserved their place in line for the exhibition, the biggest one organized to showcase the Tuscan polymath's indelible contributions to humanity - with an emphasis on his painting.

A decade in the planning, the show, simply titled Leonardo da Vinci, groups 162 works, including 24 drawings loaned by Queen Elizabeth II of Britain from the Royal Collection.