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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.

11/13/2025

Our partner institution, The Menil Drawing Institute in Houston, Texas, is accepting applications for an important Pre-Doctoral Fellowship for the 2026–2027 academic year. It is open to American and international researchers who work in fields pertaining to modern and contemporary drawing practices. Applications are due December 15, 2025.

The Menil Drawing Institute’s fellowship program fosters the highest level of scholarship and makes possible rich, interdisciplinary, object-based conversations on the drawing medium’s history, theory, criticism, and practice. Fellows receive housing and a stipend to cover living and other expenses incurred during the 9-month fellowship (September to June). Application materials and inquiries should be submitted to [email protected]

More information about the Menil Drawing Institute’s fellowship program can be found here: : https://www.menil.org/menil-drawing-institute-pre-doctoral-fellowship

(Image: Paul Cézanne, “Mount Cengle (Le Mont Cengle),” pencil and watercolor on paper, the Menil Collection, Houston)

11/11/2025

A poignant overview of the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition and catalogue “Käthe Kollwitz” is presented by Kollwitz specialist Dr. Annette Seeler in the current issue of MASTER DRAWINGS (Vol. 63, no. 3).

Subscribe now (https://masterdrawings.org/subscribe/) and read why Seeler believes the catalogue “was a lasting tribute to the international fame of this honored artist.”

Remember, you can access your issue from anywhere by reading MASTER DRAWINGS online: our digital platform is FREE with your individual subscription.

(Image: Käthe Kollwitz, “Beim Dengeln (Sharpening the Scythe),” Plate 3 from Bauernkreig (Peasants’ War), Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco)

11/10/2025

“Learning to Draw,” at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, explores artistic training and the mastery of drawing in Europe from the sixteenth- to the nineteenth-century. On view through January 25, 2026, the exhibition features 32 drawings, primarily from the Getty Museum’s collection, that showcase how students sought to acquire the fundamental skill of drawing. Highlighted are the sequence of exercises that came to underpin drawing instruction over the centuries: Drawing from Art; Drawing from Life; and Drawing from Landscape. The exhibit includes a sketching table where visitors can try their hand at drawing (materials provided) and a space to display their creations at the gallery entrance.

(Image: Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), “Seated Young Man,”
oiled charcoal heightened with white chalk on gray-brown paper, Getty Museum, Los Angeles)

11/08/2025

“Jean-Baptiste Greuze: Childhood illuminated,” at the Petit Palais - Fine Arts Museum of Paris, pays tribute to the artist on the 300th anniversary of his birth. On view until January 25, 2026, the exhibit uses the prism of childhood through which to examine this theme. There are approximately one hundred works of art, on loan from an international group of museums and private collections, which depict children through portraits, expressive head studies, or genre scenes, from early childhood to the beginnings of adulthood.

(Image: Jean-Baptiste Greuze, “Head of a Boy,” red chalk on cream laid paper, Private Collection)

11/06/2025

Join artist Lisa Yuskavage on Wednesday, November 19 from 6-7:30pm in a live broadcast from her exhibition, “Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings,” at our partner institution, the Morgan Library & Museum. She will discuss her work with contemporaries: Jarrett Earnest, Sarah Sze, and Matvey Levenstein.

The talk, taking place online, is free but advanced registration is required. Registrants will receive a link via email on the day of the program.
To register, go to: https://www.themorgan.org/programs/creative-insights-lisa-yuskavage-and-friends-online

(Image: Lisa Yuskavage, “Leg, 2002,” Conté crayon on painted paper, Private Collection © Lisa Yuskavage. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner)
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11/04/2025

“Italian Renaissance Drawings from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen,” is deftly explored by Martin Clayton, in the current issue of MASTER DRAWINGS (Vol. 63, no. 3). Clayton, Head of Prints and Drawings for Royal Collection Trust, based at Windsor Castle, notes that, “Despite its eminence, the drawings collection of the Boijmans Van Beuningen has been unevenly studied – some sheets are widely published, while others of much interest are hardly known.” A generous grant from the Getty Foundation’s ‘Paper Project’ in 2018 enabled a collaborative project to catalogue 380 Italian Renaissance drawings for the museum’s online database. The catalogue under review accompanied the exhibition of highlights from this project, Naissance et Renaissance du dessin italien: La collection du Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

Subscribe now (https://masterdrawings.org/subscribe/) and learn why Clayton hopes that the museum can extend this cataloguing initiative across the remainder of its outstanding drawings collec¬tion.

Remember, you can access your issue from anywhere by reading MASTER DRAWINGS online: our digital platform is FREE with your individual subscription.

(Image: Anonymous Northern Italian, “Study for a Pilgrim with Large Hat,” Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam)

11/03/2025

Devote nine months to an independent research project relating to some aspect of the history, theory, collecting, function, or interpretation of drawings. Our institutional partner, The Morgan Drawing Institute, will award one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to a scholar in the first decade of their career following the completion of the Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree. The application deadline is December 1, 2025, and the Fellowship will be at the Morgan Library & Museum from September 1, 2026–June 1, 2027.
The majority of the Fellow’s time will be spent on the research project for which the fellowship is awarded, but the Fellow is expected to participate fully in the intellectual life of the Morgan and to attend Drawing Institute programs during their tenure. The Fellow may occasionally assist in the planning and implementation of Drawing Institute programs.
The Fellow will present a progress report on their research at the conclusion of the fellowship.

For more information: https://www.themorgan.org/opportunities/fellowships/postdoctoral-fellowship

To apply go to https://www.themorgan.org/opportunities/drawing-institute-application

(Image: Antoine Watteau, “Two Studies of the Head and Shoulders of a Little Girl,”
black, red, and white chalk on buff paper; drawn over black chalk sketch of legs, the Morgan Library & Museum, New York)

11/01/2025

“Michelangelo & Men,” at the Teylers Museum in the Netherlands, offers a new perspective on the male body in the work and life of Michelangelo. The exhibit examines the male body from all angles: from the artist’s outside influences of his predecessors and classical antiquity, to his own extensive anatomical knowledge and use of male models, addressing themes of gender, sexuality and beauty ideals. On view until January 25, 2026, the exhibition includes 22 drawings from the museum’s collection as well as 20 international loans, all rarely seen because of the works’ fragility.

(Image: Michelangelo Buonarotti, “Study for an ignudo,” Teylers Museum, the Netherlands)

10/31/2025

Bewitching insights await you when you read MASTER DRAWINGS.

On this Halloween treat yourself to a MASTER DRAWINGS subscription at https://masterdrawings.org/subscribe/. Digital access is free with your subscription. The platform offers enhanced options for interacting with our content.

NOW accepting renewals for 2026!

(Image: Francisco Goya y Lucientes, “A Young Witch Flying on a Rope Swing,” black chalk and lithographic crayon on laid paper, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa)

10/30/2025

Gain firsthand experience and professional training in curatorial work, and in the study and connoisseurship of old master and nineteenth-century drawings. Apply for the 2026-28 Moore Curatorial Fellowship in the Department of Drawings and Prints at our partner institution, The Morgan Library & Museum. This appointment provides the opportunity to be a fully integrated member of the department, with duties and responsibilities comparable to those of a curatorial assistant or assistant curator. The Fellow will have the opportunity to conduct research on the Morgan’s collection of European drawings before 1900 and to contribute significantly to all phases of exhibition planning, organization, and installation; museum education; publications; and other departmental activities.

Deadline for applications is November 15, 2025, with the Fellowship beginning in early 2026. To apply: Please submit a letter addressing your interest in, and qualifications for, the Fellowship; a complete curriculum vitae including language proficiencies; and names of three references. All application materials must be in English and should be submitted online at: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Apply/
Letters of reference should be emailed directly to: [email protected] with the subject heading “Moore Fellow Application.”

(Image: Giorgio Vasari, “Man Seated in Profile to Right,” black chalk on light brown paper, the Morgan Library & Museum, New York)

10/29/2025

An exquisite pastel by Jean-Baptiste Greuze is brought to light by Antoine Chatelain in the current issue of MASTER DRAWINGS (Vol. 63, no.3). Chatelain, a researcher at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art in Paris, recently discovered the work in the Musée Angladon – Collection Jacques Doucet in Avignon. Long cited in the literature as one of several sheets associated with the most talked-about work of the 1761 Salon, Greuze’s The Village Bride, the pastel had never been reproduced and its whereabouts had remained a mystery since the late 19th century, until now!

Subscribe now (https://masterdrawings.org/subscribe/)! Remember, you can access your issue from anywhere by reading MASTER DRAWINGS online: our digital platform is FREE with your individual subscription.

(Image: Jean-Baptiste Greuze, “Study for the Head of the Young Bride,” Musée Angladon – Collection Jacques Doucet, Avignon)

10/26/2025

MASTER DRAWINGS celebrates on October 31 the reopening of The Princeton University Art Museum, following a multi-year design and construction process. The 146,000-square-foot new facility effectively doubles the Museum’s spaces for displaying art and for teaching and educational programming, with a host of updated visitor amenities.

The Museum will inaugurate the space with special exhibitions, including “Face-to-Face,” a collections-based exhibit that focuses on the universal appeal of the human visage, both revealed and concealed. On view until May 1, the faces displayed in spatial conversation with each other provoke issues of identity, celebrity, and divinity while positing different modes of engagement, from gentle intimacy to emotional confrontation.

(Image: Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), “Bust of Bearded Man Wearing a Turban,”
red chalk, Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, Connecticut)

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