The Vancouver Art Gallery has just announced its programming during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games: drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, a major survey of British Columbia’s visual art, and two big outdoor installations.

The exhibit Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man (February 6 to May 2, 2010) will be on loan from the collection of Queen Elizabeth II. It will mark the first time this group of drawings has ever been shown in its entirety, and is meant to echo the athleticism of the games.

To complement the historic exhibit, the Gallery will present Visceral Bodies (February 6 to May 16, 2010), a show of contemporary art based on the human form.

Meanwhile, Visions of British Columbia: A Landscape Manual (January 23 to April 18, 2010) will house art by the major figures of B.C. on two floors of the gallery.

The show traces the evolution of art here, from a 19th-century First Nations sculpture by Charles Edenshaw and iconic paintings by Emily Carr to cutting-edge works by Stan Douglas, Liz Magor, Jeff Wall, Jin-me Yoon, and more.

Outside the landmark, the Georgia Street faí§ade will show Taiwanese artist Michael Lin's A Modest Veil, a massive hand-painted mural (January 15, 2010 to May 2, 2010).

On the the Robson Street side, the VAG will present almost 100 film and video works on a massive LED screen over the Robson Street faí§ade as part of CUE: Artists’ Videos (January 23 to March 21, 2010).