Leonardo da Vinci exhibition opening in Louvre

It took more than a decade to prepare and was almost thwarted by a diplomatic row. Now, one of the world's most expensive art exhibitions - to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death - is finally opening to the public.

The Louvre museum in Paris, home to Leonardo's Mona Lisa, opens its doors on Thursday to a display of more than 160 Renaissance-era paintings and drawings, some of which are on loan from Queen Elizabeth II and Bill and Melinda Gates, BBC News reports.

The exhibition, which is expected to attract more than half a million visitors over the next four months, aims to provide a deeper understanding of the artist's working methods using his notebooks, infrared imaging technology and virtual reality.

Shining infrared light on some of his most famous artworks has revealed a number of secrets, with multiple layers of drawings discovered beneath the artist's finished pieces.

It is not the first time this method has been used. In August, experts found designs for the angel and infant Christ beneath the surface of Leonardo's The Virgin of the Rocks, using macro X-ray fluorescence maps and infrared and hyperspectral imaging.Leonardo da Vinci was an engineer, designer, scientist and artist who was fascinated with the human form and the behaviours of animals and plants.

From the growth of trees to the motion of birds - he was obsessed with flight and designed a flying machine based on the wings of a bat - Leonardo studied the complexities and documented them with drawings. Some of those drawings are on show.

He also designed weapons, tools and utensils, and his notebooks also include interpretations of architectural building techniques.