Erick van Egeraat was commissioned by the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, to create the exhibition design for four exhibitions between 1995-1998. This represented a crucial time in the history of the Kunsthal, the Rem Koolhaas-designed building that was completed in 1992, as the institution was developing its identity and seeking ways to reach larger audiences.

The 1996 “Leonardo da Vinci” exhibition was at that time the largest exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci ever to be held in The Netherlands and it was a milestone for the Kunsthal as it was the first exhibition to receive over 100.000 visitors. It was an exhibition to be experienced, not just to be viewed. The way in which Leonardo da Vinci’s imagination was staged became its most important and memorable feature. Twenty interactive wooden scale models were exhibited on the stage-like stair in the main hall, the space behind the stair housed a multimedia space on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci. In the ultramarine spaces accessed at the top of the stairs the key works were exhibited.