Leonardo da Vinci was active in his art career first. Leonardo da Vinci, born in 1452, was active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His career as an artist, inventor, and scientist spanned the height of the Renaissance. Albrecht Dürer, born in 1471, was a leading figure in the Northern Renaissance, but his major works date from the early 16th century onwards. Therefore, Leonardo da Vinci's career predates Albrecht Dürer's.