Building on Strength: Drawings and Watercolours

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

Recent Acquisitions of European Drawings and Watercolours

Collection building is one of the most vital and rewarding activities of any museum. An obvious sign of this vitality is community support reflected in the quality and quantity of gifts. The print and drawing collection has experienced rapid growth in the last 25 years due to exemplary support from donors, through gifts of works of art and through donations of designated purchase funds.

Since our last recent acquisitions exhibition in 2001, the Gallery has been building on strengths in special areas, represented here by Italian, French and British drawings of the 17th to the 19th centuries. Drawings rank among the most daring, spontaneous and intimate statements made by artists. In this selection, the hand and the mind of the maker are revealed in works exploring sacred and mythological subjects, open-air views of familiar countrysides, and designs for stained glass windows.

Space does not allow the inclusion of all our newly-acquired treasures. In the spring of 2004 a second selection, including 19th and 20th century prints and drawings, will be unveiled.