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Master Drawings

Master Drawings is the leading international periodical for the study of drawings from the fourteent Master Drawings Association, Inc.

is a not-for-profit organization incorporated in the State of New York on March 16, 1962, for the purpose of disseminating knowledge in the field of Western draftsmanship since the Renaissance. Its mission is fulfilled mainly through the publication of the subscription-based, academic quarterly Master Drawings, which was launched in 1963. The founding Editor was the late Felice Stampfle, Curator o

f Drawings and Prints at the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; the first Associate Editors were the late Jacob Bean, Curator of Drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann, who is Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Master Drawings aspires to be the leading international periodical for the study of drawings from the fourteenth century to the present day in Europe and the Americas. Edited to the highest academic standards, it seeks to present the best and most important new research in a clear, elegant, and accessible format. The journal is primarily concerned with the publication of newly discovered material, significant reattributions, and fresh interpretations. Each issue, extensively illustrated with high-quality color and black-and-white images, consists of approximately 144 pages of articles, notes, exhibition and book reviews, as well as trade advertising. Other features, such as interviews with living artists and essays about historical collectors or collections, are intended to foster a sense of continuity between the pre-modern and modern eras. The journal’s target readership is a diverse and interrelated constituency of international curators, academics, students, collectors, and dealers. The language of the quarterly is English, but submissions are encouraged from a broad range of specialists throughout the world, mainly Europe and the Americas. may hold events that advance its mission and promote contact and collaboration within all sectors of the international drawings community. In light of changing research patterns in a digital age, the Board of Directors is committed to maintaining an online presence for the journal in order to increase its accessibility by making past content available through internet archiving programs.

02/16/2025

MASTER DRAWINGS is NOW accepting submissions for the 8th Annual Ricciardi Prize of $5,000!

The deadline is November 15, 2025.

The award is given for the best new and unpublished article on a drawing topic (of any period) by a scholar under the age of 40. The winning submission will be published in a 2026 issue of MASTER DRAWINGS. In addition to the prize money the winner and runner up are invited as our guests to present their respective research at the MASTER DRAWINGS annual symposium.

Go to https://masterdrawings.org/ricciardi-prize/ for information about essay requirements and how to apply. You can also learn about the broad range of research by past winners of the prize.

(Image: Charles Genty, “Portrait of René Lalique in His Studio,” pastel, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris)

02/14/2025

Let great drawings bring you closer this Valentine’s Day.

Give the gift of MASTER DRAWINGS to someone you love. With a subscription you’re also giving yearly digital access for free! The platform offers enhanced options for interacting with our content. See masterdrawings.org/subscribe and complete the form today!

You will love what you can learn.

(Image: Thomas Stothard, “The Lovers; man and woman reading together on sofa in alcove, woman holding book, man holding woman,” watercolor, The British Museum)

02/12/2025

“Secrets of Italian Drawings,” at Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, is an interactive exhibition focused on drawings from the Italian Renaissance. Almost half of these sheets are on display for the first time in the museum's history and include artists such as Fra Bartolommeo, Palma Giovane, and Tintoretto. The exhibition, on view until March 23, enables visitors to get a close look at the works to understand how to distinguish between artists from different cities and regions and learn about the different working methods artists used.

(Image: Jacopo Bassano (Jacopo da Ponte), “Head of a Bearded Man in Profile Facing Right,” Black, white, pink and ochre chalks on gray paper, Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam)

02/11/2025

Longstanding divisions between the arts and sciences are the focus of a graduate seminar on “Drawing Nature, 1500-1900,” being held at our partner institution, the Morgan Library & Museum. Led by Sarah Mallory, Annette and Oscar de la Renta Assistant Curator of Drawings and Prints at the Morgan; Olivia Dill, Moore Curatorial Fellow at the Morgan; and Roberta J. M. Olson, Curator of Drawings Emerita at The New York Historical, the seminar will closely examine a large selection of works in the Morgan’s significant collection of natural history drawings, including those by Maria Sibylla Merian, Mark Catesby, Madeleine Françoise Basseporte, Georg Dionysius Ehret and John James Audubon.

This seminar is open to graduate students of the history of art, the history of science, and related fields, and to graduate students interested in the conservation of works on paper. It takes place on Friday, April 4, from 9:00am-4:00pm.

Application Deadline: February 21

Applications should be submitted electronically with the subject header Drawing Nature Seminar to: [email protected]

(Image: (l)Guilliam de Heer, “Datura with Butterflies,” watercolor and opaque watercolor, with traces of gum Arabic, over graphite on laid paper, the Morgan Library & Museum; (r) James Audubon, “Large Striped Skunk: Female and Young,” watercolor, graphite, selective scraping, and collage, on cream wove paper, The Morgan Library & Museum)

02/10/2025

MASTER DRAWINGS salutes Editor Jane Turner who after 22 years of stellar service will retire in April. “Jane's remarkable skill as a drawing connoisseur and her tremendous gifts as an editor have contributed to the outstanding success of the journal over the past two decades,” said Clement C. (Chips) Moore II, President of the MASTER DRAWINGS Board of Directors.

Jane's editorial experience began at the Morgan Library in the late 1970s under the guidance of the journal’s founding editor, Felice Stampfle. She was named Editor of MASTER DRAWINGS in 2004. Since her arrival, Jane has focused on working closely with a wide range of scholars to create compelling and informative issues, richly and more colorfully illustrated, with articles that helped define and advance our field.

One of her significant achievements for the journal was the establishment in 2018 of the Ricciardi Prize, an award for the best article by an author under 40. This initiative has encouraged the next generation of scholars not only to contribute to the journal but to learn firsthand the stages of the publication process.

Join us in celebrating all that Jane has done to make MASTER DRAWINGS the leading publication in the field of drawings.
(Photo: Jane Turner)

02/09/2025

“Secrets of the Sibyls — Sandro Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, and Artistic Practice in Florence,” at the Christ Church Picture Gallery at the University of Oxford, focuses on the underdrawings and design process of two paintings – one by Sandro Botticelli and the other by Filippino Lippi. The exhibition, on view until March 31, includes Florentine drawings of the time, among them two newly attributed works by Botticelli; figure studies by Filippino; and also sheets from rivalling workshops and their artists -- Verrocchio, Leonardo, Lorenzo di Credi and others -- all taken from the Christ Church collection.

(Image: Sandro Botticelli, “Head of a man, almost in profile to L.,” silverpoint heightened with white, on pinkish-buff ground, the background toned with the brush, Christ Church Picture Gallery, University of Oxford)

02/05/2025

MASTER DRAWINGS congratulates Olivia Dill, winner of the seventh annual Ricciardi Prize, and Tamara Kobel, 2024 runner-up, both of whom presented their outstanding research at the 2025 MASTER DRAWINGS annual symposium taking place during Master Drawings NY week. The journal recognizes the best articles by authors under 40 years with an annual $5,000 prize and provides an opportunity for the authors to present their findings in front of drawings enthusiasts.

Congratulations also go to the Drawing Foundation for another year of stimulating presentations, insightful discussions and insider exhibition visits.

(photo: Tamara Kobel (l), Jane Turner, editor MASTER DRAWINGS, and Olivia Dill (r))

02/04/2025

MASTER DRAWINGS’s benefit dinner was held yesterday evening and welcomed 175 drawings enthusiasts. The dinner is an important fundraiser for our non-profit journal, which relies on private donations to produce and print MASTER DRAWINGS@lacatrinanyc flowers and for the beautiful arrangements.

01/21/2025

Join us for a dynamic afternoon of talks at the Annual Master Drawings Symposium taking place February 4 at 4pm at Villa Albertine, The Payne Whitney Mansion, 972 Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Young scholars and their prize-winning essays are the focus of the annual MASTER DRAWINGS Symposium, returning in 2025 for its ninth year. The journal recognizes the best articles by authors under 40 years with an annual cash prize and provides an opportunity for the authors to present their findings in front of drawings enthusiasts.

This year’s winner is Olivia Dill, a PhD candidate at Northwestern University and current Moore Curatorial Fellow at the Morgan Library & Museum. Besides assigning a previously anonymous watercolor of three insects, including an iridescent Rhinoceros beetle native to Brazil, to seventeenth-century Dutch natural history artist Pieter Holsteyn II, Ms. Dill used an interdisciplinary approach and technical analysis of several blue pigments to shed light on the artist’s color choices and his efforts to translate the beetle’s iridescence on a sheet of paper.

2024 runner-up Tamara Kobel, MA from the University of Bern and a former fellow at the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich, will delve into the fascinating world of Swiss artist Wilhelm Stettler. Focusing on his “Eyerstock,” a rich artistic tool of sketches and doodles that he described as his fertile pantry of motifs, she helps us understand what role his diverse sources played in the artist's career and creative process.

Don’t miss this out on this unique look at fascinating research. The symposium is free, but you must register. We encourage you to join the waitlist if the event is sold out as more seats may become available. Register at https://thedrawingfoundation.org/event/annual-master-drawings-symposium-2025/

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation and MASTER DRAWINGS, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. The Symposium is made possible through the generous support of the Tavolozza Foundation.
(Image: Wilhelm Stettler, “Exotic Animals and Other Motifs,” Burgerbibliothek, Bern)
n

01/18/2025

Learn about the recently opened “Paper, Color, Line: European Master Drawings from the Wadsworth Atheneum,” from Oliver Tostmann, Susan Morse Hilles Curator of European Art, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, on February 6 at 1:30pm during Master Drawings New York Week. On view until April 27, the exhibition showcases about sixty to seventy highlights from the museum’s rich collection of European drawings, watercolors, and pastels, some little-known and rarely seen. Included are drawings by Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as highlights by Egon Schiele, Paul Klee, and Joan Miró.

The event takes place at The Italian Cultural Institute in New York, 686 Parke Avenue, and is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with the Wadsworth Atheneum, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-long-kept-secret-the-collection-of-european-drawings-at-the-wadsworth-tickets-1143630412349?aff=oddtdtcreator

(Image: Edgar Degas, “Dancers with Fans,” pastel on paper, The Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT)

01/17/2025

Join curators Alison Hokanson and Joanna Sheers Seidenstein, on February 6 at 9:30am, for a special preview of “Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art during Master Drawings New York Week. Opening to the public on February 8, this international loan exhibition brings together more than 75 paintings, drawings, and prints by Friedrich, the German Romantic artist whose landscapes articulate a profound connection between the natural world and the inner self, or soul.
The event, taking place at the Met, 1000 Fifth Avenue, is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with the museum, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/preview-and-tour-of-caspar-david-friedrich-the-soul-of-nature-at-the-met-tickets-1143601104689?aff=oddtdtcreator

(Image: Caspar David Friedrich, “Castle Ruins at Teplitz,” watercolor over pencil, Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Photo Herbert Boswank)

01/16/2025

Learn why China has long been a source of inspiration and fascination for European artists at a study session taking place on February 4 at 10:30am during Master Drawings New York Week. Led by Jamie Kwan, Assistant Curator of Drawings, Prints & Graphic Design at Cooper Hewitt, the session will delve into the museum’s holdings of chinoiserie and export drawings from the eighteenth- and nineteenth-centuries, with a focus on works by Jean-Baptiste Pillement and George Chinnery. In addition, chinoiserie drawings and designs by various European artists will be explored, as well as examples of Chinese export gouaches.

The event, taking place at Cooper Hewitt, 2 East 90th Street, is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with Cooper Hewitt, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/inspired-by-china-chinoiserie-and-export-drawings-tickets-1143558697849?aff=oddtdtcreator

(Image: Jean-Baptiste Pillement, “Flowering Branches,” chalk on white laid paper, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York)

01/15/2025

Learn from a distinguished panel of experts about what goes into preparing for a major exhibition or publication on a singular collection of drawings. Taking place on February 3 at 1:30pm during Master Drawings New York Week, the participants will discuss three recent or upcoming projects considering Italian drawing collections. The panelists are:

Ashleigh Brown, Paper and Photographic Conservator at the Royal Collection Trust, Windsor
Presenting on the conservation and preparation for “Drawing the Italian Renaissance,” The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, (through March 8)

Claire van Cleave, Independent Scholar
Presenting on her recent publication, “The Farnese Drawings Collection”

Freyda Spira, Robert L. Solley Curator of Prints and Drawings, Yale University Art Gallery
Presenting on an upcoming exhibition tentatively titled “Mythmaking in Italian 19th century Drawings” (opening Fall of 2027)

Moderated by:
Margaret Holben Ellis, Eugene Thaw Professor Emerita of Paper Conservation, NYU

The event, at the Institute of Fine Arts at 1 East 78th Street, is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drawings-in-the-round-perspectives-on-italian-drawings-tickets-1143241599399?aff=oddtdtcreator
(Image: Luigi Sabatelli, “Orestes and the Furies,” pen and brown ink and graphite, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT)

01/14/2025

Three talks, taking place February 3 during Master Drawings New York 2025, will explore some of the topics and questions raised by the soon-to-close exhibition “Paris through the Eyes of Saint-Aubin,” on view at The Met through February 4, 2025. The show celebrates the 300th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The speakers are:

Perrin Stein, Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and MASTER DRAWINGS reviews editor
“Going Shopping with Saint-Aubin”

Rena M. Hoisington, Curator of Old Master and Nineteenth-Century Prints, National Gallery of Art
“Tinkering on Paper and Copper: Gabriel de Saint-Aubin at the Crossroads of Drawing and Printmaking”

Kim de Beaumont, Adjunct Professor and Undergraduate Major Advisor for Art History, Hunter College
“From Paris to Stockholm: Gabriel de Saint-Aubin’s Last Solitary Promenades”

Following the talks, attendees are invited to view the exhibition.

Read both Perrin Stein and Kim de Beaumont’s fascinating articles about Saint-Aubin in the
current issue of MASTER DRAWINGS (Vol. 62, no. 4). Subscribe now at
masterdrawings.org/subscribe/. Remember, access to our digital platform is FREE with your individual subscription.

The program is at the Met at 1000 Fifth Ave. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-exhibitions-of-old-master-drawings-conversations-with-curators-tickets-1142187245799?aff=oddtdtcreator The event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in association with Master Drawings New York 2025, and made possible through the generous support of Hubert and Mireille Goldschmidt, David Leventhal, and Alan Templeton.

(Image: Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, “Sheet of Studies,” black chalk, pen and black ink, touches of colored washes. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

01/13/2025

Hear from four early career curators based in European and US collections as they discuss their recent or upcoming exhibitions that focus on old master drawings. At the event, taking place February 2 at 11:00am during Master Drawings New York week, curators will give short presentations about their exhibitions, followed by a lively panel conversation about their curatorial projects and experiences. The panelists are:

Jamie Gabbarelli, Prince Trust Associate Curator in Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago
and Edina Adam, Assistant Curator of Drawings, The J. Paul Getty Museum
“Lines of Connection: Drawing and Printmaking, 1400–1850”

Clare Kobasa, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, Saint Louis Art Museum
“Sensational Sin/Vivid Virtue: Guercino’s Drawings and Paintings in Baroque Italy” (tentative title)

Rosie Razzall, Curator of Drawings, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
“Secrets of Italian Drawings”
“Italian Renaissance Drawings from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam” (at Fondation Custodia)

Moderators:
Alesa Boyle, Co-founder, Trois Crayon, London
Greg Rubinstein, Head of Old Master & Early British Drawings, Worldwide at Sotheby’s

This event, taking place at Sotheby's, 1334 York Avenue, is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with Trois Crayons, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. It is taking place at Sotheby’s New York, 1334 York Avenue. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-exhibitions-of-old-master-drawings-conversations-with-curators-tickets-1142187245799?aff=oddtdtcreator

(Image: Giovanni Battista Piranesi, “An Ancient Port,” red and black chalk and brown and reddish wash, squared in black chalk, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles)

01/12/2025

Join Jennifer Tonkovich, Eugene and Clare Thaw Curator of Drawings and Prints of the Morgan Library & Museum, and associate editor of MASTER DRAWINGS, for "Collector Conversations: Talking Drawings 2025” during Master Drawings New York week. This year’s conversation, taking place February 1 at 5:00 pm, features collectors and curators discussing the joys and pitfalls of collaborating with celebrated collectors. The event is taking place at Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, exhibiting at Adam Williams Fine Art (24 East 80th Street).

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with the Society for the History of Collecting in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collector-conversations-talking-drawings-2025-tickets-1136919349379?aff=oddtdtcreator

(Image: Benvenuto Cellini, “A Satyr (detail),” pen and brown ink and brown wash over black chalk on laid paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington)

01/11/2025

nThe impact of the cross-cultural exchange that took place in Europe and beyond during the eighteenth century is the focus of a fascinating panel taking place on January 31 at 12:30pm during Master Drawings New York 2025. Join a panel discussion between scholars and dealers to discuss the importance of drawing from this period of travel and enrichment.

Being held at The Winter Show, Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, it features the following panelists

Laurel O. Peterson, Assistant Curator, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Alan Templeton, Collector
Jonny Yarker, Libson & Yarker, London
Moderated by: Daniella Berman, PhD., Head of Special Projects and Strategic Initiatives, The Drawing Foundation

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with The Winter Show, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. The event is free with a general admission ticket ($30) to The Winter Show. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-dialogue-series-crosscurrents-tickets-1116545350199?aff=oddtdtcreator

(Image: Rosalba Carriera, “Alan Brodrick, 2nd Viscount Midleton (detail),” pastel on grayish laid paper, laid down to canvas, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA)

01/09/2025

Young scholars and their prize-winning essays are the focus of the annual MASTER DRAWINGS Symposium, returning in 2025 for its ninth year. The journal recognizes the best articles by authors under 40 years with an annual cash prize and provides an opportunity for the authors to present their findings in front of drawings enthusiasts.

This year’s winner is Olivia Dill, a PhD candidate at Northwestern University and current Moore Curatorial Fellow at the Morgan Library & Museum. Besides assigning a previously anonymous watercolor of three insects, including an iridescent Rhinoceros beetle native to Brazil, to seventeenth-century Dutch natural history artist Pieter Holsteyn II, Ms. Dill used an interdisciplinary approach and technical analysis of several blue pigments, particularly smalt (ground cobalt and glass), to shed light on the artist’s color choices and his efforts to translate the beetle’s iridescence on a sheet of paper.

2024 runner-up Tamara Kobel, MA from the University of Bern and a former fellow at the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich, will delve into the fascinating world of Swiss artist Wilhelm Stettler. Focusing on his “Eyerstock,” a rich artistic tool of sketches and doodles that he described as his fertile pantry of motifs, she helps us understand what role his diverse sources (a menagerie of finely drawn animals, war machines, musical instruments, skeletons, flowers, temples, and ships) played in the artist's career and creative process.

Join us on Wednesday, February 4th at 4:00pm at Villa Albertine, The Payne Whitney Mansion, 972 Fifth Avenue. Don’t miss this out on this unique look at fascinating research. The is free but registration is required. Register at https://thedrawingfoundation.org/event/annual-master-drawings-symposium-2025/

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation and MASTER DRAWINGS, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. The Symposium is made possible through the generous support of the Tavolozza Foundation.

(Image: Here attributed to Pieter Holsteyn II, “Blue rhinoceros beetle, chestnut weevil, and wasp, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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