The biggest and most expensive exhibition in the history of the Louvre Museum has opened in Paris. To commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death, more than 160 of the Italian master's works are being displayed.

Walking around the Napoleon Hall of the Louvre, it becomes rapidly clear why this exhibition is one of the world's most anticipated cultural events of 2019. The scale of the show is stunning; the quality of the artworks just baffling.

Most of Da Vinci's paintings are unfinished. Not because, as is sometimes suggested by art historians, the Florentine master was quickly bored and only interested in new concepts. To Da Vinci, a painting was a continuous project, on which he added new scientific insights or artistic opinions.

Leonardo only left around 15 paintings that are attributed to him. 

Five of them are already in the Louvre's collection. Six others are on loan from prestigious museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Vatican and even from the UK's Queen Elizabeth II. However, the Mona Lisa or La Joconde, as she is known in France, is not part of the official exhibition. She is on show in the newly restored Salle des Etats.

Even though everybody is familiar with Da Vinci's work, this exhibition will surprise even the most experienced museum visitors. 

To stand eye-to-eye with the Vitruvian Man is an extraordinary experience. Despite its modest size, the painting caused a diplomatic quarrel between France and Italy. Only last week, an Italian judge decided it could be lent to the Louvre. 

The show's curator, Vincent Delieuvin, refused to be drawn on rumors the iconic work is insured for one billion euros ($1.1 billion). He also refused to say if the world's most expensive painting, Salvator Mundi, may join the exhibition in the next coming weeks. 

Reportedly, negotiations are ongoing between the museum's authorities and the work's mysterious owner, thought to be Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In spite of the absence of some of Leonardo's works, the Louvre's exhibition is a must-see – even 500 years after his death, few artists draw crowds like the Italian master. 

The Leonardo da Vinci exhibition lasts four months, until the end of February 2020. But if you want to visit it, you'll have to be fast: more than 220,000 tickets have been pre-sold.