The earliest drawings in the Wadsworth’s collection span the Renaissance and Rococo periods, including masterpieces by Giorgio Vasari, Carlo Maratti, Rosalba Carriera, and Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Although the collection features distinguished examples from these periods, the selection of works from the 19th through the 20th centuries is even stronger. Dazzling drawings by Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec can be seen alongside works by Egon Schiele, Paul Klee, and Joan Miró. Theatrical designs and other drawings by Pablo Picasso, Léon Bakst, and Natalia Gontcharova give a glimpse behind the scenes of the Ballets Russes making a dynamic contribution to the exhibition. All the drawings show exceptional skill and verve, embodying the timeless immediacy of the physical act of drawing, the singular qualities of each artist’s hand, and the shifts in artistic approach over the centuries.
Organized chronologically along subtle themes, Paper, Color, Line offers a rich overview of five centuries of draftsmanship in Europe. The variety of styles, schools, techniques, and artistic media will appeal to audiences of all ages and backgrounds and those who have ever picked up a pencil and paper—from experienced artists to those just starting out. A drawing can be a deeply personal manifestation of an individual’s vision and abilities, revealing the immediate touch and gesture of the artist who made it. While the exhibition explores broader topics such as artistic education, technical innovation, and the art market—it is this ability to both see and feel the artist’s individuality through the impact of marks made on paper that has universal appeal.
“The Wadsworth Atheneum began collecting drawings in 1848 and was among the first museums in the United States to acquire great works on paper by artists from Europe. Through gift and purchase, we have formed a remarkable collection that represents some of the finest qualities of Western drawing. This exhibition will make this important, and growing, collection better known and increase public appreciation for this endlessly compelling art form,” said Matthew Hargraves, Director of the Wadsworth Atheneum.”
This handsome catalogue will shine a spotlight on the Wadsworth Atheneum’s impressive collection of European drawings, watercolors and pastels. It features renowned artists, including Courbet, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Schiele, Klee, Miró and Picasso, and includes fresh scholarship. The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art’s rich collection of European drawings, watercolors and pastels is little-known and rarely seen. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the museum has acquired by purchase and gift a diverse group of nearly 1,250 European drawings of impressive quality. Paper, Color, Line: European Master Drawings from the Wadsworth Atheneum showcases some sixty highlights on view for the first time in decades. This long-overdue exhibition is a unique survey of artists working in drawing media over a span of more than five hundred years. The museum’s holdings are particularly strong in works from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Renowned drawings by Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec are included in thisexhibition, as well as highlights by Egon Schiele, Paul Klee and Joan Miró. The collection is distinguished by its theatrical designs, particularly those linked with the Ballets Russes, with contributions by Pablo Picasso, Léon Bakst and Natalia Goncharova. Significant works from the Renaissance to the Rococo by artists such as Giorgio Vasari, Carlo Maratti and Jean-Baptiste Greuze emphasize the timeless appeal of drawing and will complement the overview. The catalogue of the exhibition will be the first catalog devoted to European drawings at the Wadsworth Atheneum. It will present fresh research on the objects as well as on the history of collecting European drawings at the museum. The catalogue is written by Oliver Tostmann, Susan Morse Hilles Curator of European Art at the Wadsworth Atheneum.
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