The Wadsworth Atheneum’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 showcases about sixty to seventy highlights on view for the first time in decades. This long overdue exhibition provides a unique survey of artists engaging with the medium 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 will be included in this exhibition, as well as highlights by Egon Schiele, Paul Klee, and Joan Miró. The collection is additionally noted for its theatrical designs, particularly its material linked with the Ballets Russes, which encompasses sheets by Pablo Picasso, Léon Bakst, and Natalia Gontcharova. Significant drawings from the Renaissance to the Rococo by artists such as Giorgio Vasari, Carlo Maratti, and Jean-Baptiste Greuze emphasize the timeless appeal of the medium and will complement the overview.
Organized along thematic lines, Paper, Color, Line offers a rich overview of 500 years of draftsmanship in Europe. The variety of schools, techniques, and uses will make for a lively display. While the exhibition explores broader topics such as artistic education, technical innovation, and the art market, it is centered on arresting works that convey the universal appeal of drawings as one of the most revealing expressions of the creative process.
Events associated with the exhibition organized by the Wadsworth Atheneum:
Saturday, February 22; 1pm | Curator Talk 
Sunday, February 23; 9am–1pm | Still Life Drawing with Stephano Espinoza Galarza
Sunday, March 2; 1pm gallery talk, 2pm concert |Â Sunday Serenades: A European Sketchbook
Thursday, March 6; 5pm |Â Free First Thursdays: Barolo and Baroque
Sunday, March 23; 9am–3pm | Ink Drawing with Luis Colan
Wednesday, April 2; 5pm gallery viewing, 6pm lecture |Â The Martin W. Clement Lecture with Joachim Homann
Sunday, April 6; 1pm |Â Conservator Talk with Sarah Dove
Saturday, April 11; noon–2pm | Second Saturdays for Families
SPONSORS
Generous support for the exhibition is provided by the Cheryl Chase and Stuart Bear Family Foundation, the Kohn-Joseloff Foundation Exhibition Fund, the Tavolozza Foundation, the Wolfgang Ratjen Foundation, the Martin W. Clement Lecture Endowment at Trinity College, the Susannah Shickman Fund, and the Lydia G. Stonebridge Fund.
Additional support is provided by Alden Gordon and Jean Cadogan, Robert Dance and Bob Loper, Brie Quinby and Evan Cowles, and Kent L. Killelea.
Image
Amico Aspertini, Tritons and Nereids, 1510–1515. Brown ink and gouache on paper. The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, 2024.21.1.
