Tourists take snapshot of the Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa, at the Louvre museum, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. The Louvre, the home of the "Mona Lisa," is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death with a landmark new exhibit. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Associated Press
PARIS (AP) - Visitors are crowding into the Louvre museum in Paris to see a major retrospective of Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings.
The exhibition of paintings, drawings and sketches opened Thursday to mark the 500th anniversary of the Italian master's death.
The museum says 260,000 tickets have already been pre-sold for the show that runs through February 24, 2020.
The exhibition includes 160 works, taken from the Louvre's permanent collection and institutions around the world.
They include Leonardo's masterpieces, dozens of studies and scientific sketches, and pieces by other artists in his orbit.
French visitor Gisele Lelemberg says of Da Vinci, "he is a great painter. He is a great man of art ... For me he was a genius."
A virtual reality section delves into the story behind the "Mona Lisa."
Tourists wait to see Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa, at the Louvre museum, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. The Louvre, the home of the "Mona Lisa," is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death with a landmark new exhibit. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Associated Press
Journalists watch the painting "The Disheveled" by Leonardo Da Vinci, at the Louvre museum, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. The Louvre, the home of the "Mona Lisa," is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death with a landmark new exhibit. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Associated Press
Journalists watch the painting "Benois Madonna" by Leonardo Da Vinci, at the Louvre museum, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. The Louvre, the home of the "Mona Lisa," is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death with a landmark new exhibit. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Associated Press
A journalist takes a snapshot of the "The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne" by Leonardo Da Vinci, at the Louvre museum, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. The Louvre, the home of the "Mona Lisa," is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death with a landmark new exhibit. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Associated Press
Journalists take snapshots of the painting "Benois Madonna" by Leonardo Da Vinci, at the Louvre museum, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. The Louvre, the home of the "Mona Lisa," is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death with a landmark new exhibit. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Associated Press
Journalists watch the painting "La Belle Ferronniere" by Leonardo Da Vinci, at the Louvre museum, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. The Louvre, the home of the "Mona Lisa," is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death with a landmark new exhibit. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Associated Press
Journalists watch the "Vitruvian Man" by Leonardo Da Vinci, at the Louvre museum, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. The Louvre, the home of the "Mona Lisa," is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's death with a landmark new exhibit. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Associated Press