Master Drawings New York Unveils February Programming

Master Drawings New York (MDNY), the premier showcase for drawings in the U.S., has revealed programming in conjunction with the fair on view February 1 through 8, 2025 with a preview event on Friday, January 31. The 19th edition of this highly anticipated annual art fair will be held at more than two dozen galleries on New York's Upper East Side and will feature exceptional works on paper from the 15th to the 21st centuries, as well as complementary paintings and sculpture. This year's participants are the strongest and most diverse in the fair's history. Master Drawings New York 2025 includes 29 exhibitors from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Zurich, and Vienna.

MDNY has once again partnered with The Drawing Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit that celebrates the art of drawing, to present a robust line-up of programing featuring 11 events, panels and talks during the run of the fair. Conversations with curators and collectors, lectures, tours, and special exhibition viewings will be held at leading museums and galleries including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cooper Hewitt, Park Avenue Armory, Sotheby's, and more. Most events are free and open to the public. Advanced registration is required. To register, visit thedrawingfoundation.org. Registration begins on January 9 at 1 p.m.

"The Drawing Foundation is delighted to again add to the vibrancy of Drawings Week through a robust roster of events. Organized in association with Master Drawings New York 2025, The Drawing Foundation will offer lectures, panel discussions, and other conversations that explore topics ranging from the practice, stewardship, exhibition, and study of drawings," explains Allison Wucher, Co-founder and Executive Director of The Drawing Foundation. "Perhaps most importantly, we are thrilled to facilitate opportunities for our community members to engage with each other and to the dynamic world of drawing."

MASTER DRAWINGS NEW YORK PROGRAMS

Friday, January 31, 12:30 p.m.

Crosscurrents: Cultural Exchange in the Eighteenth Century

The 18th century was a time of great cross-cultural exchange, in Europe and beyond. Artists from England and Northern Europe embarked on their Grand Tours of Italy to steep themselves in the classical monuments and landscapes, while artists from the continent traveled to England to work in its royal court and flourishing academies.

Speakers: Laurel O. Peterson, Assistant Curator, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven; Alan Templeton, Collector; Jonny Yarker, Libson & Yarker, London.

Moderator: Daniella Berman, PhD., Head of Special Programs and Strategic Initiatives, The Drawing Foundation

Free with general admission ticket ($30) to The Winter Show.

Location: Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with The Winter Show, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025.

Saturday, February 1, 5 p.m.

Collector Conversations: Talking Drawings 2025

Most American museums enrich the range and depth of their holdings of works on paper through gifts and bequests from individuals, made in sizable allotments or smaller installments over decades. Such largesse is often the result of close relationships developed over the years revolving around a shared passion for drawings. This year's conversation features curators reflecting on the joys and pitfalls of collaborating with celebrated collectors.

Speaker/Moderator: Jennifer Tonkovich, Eugene and Clare Thaw Curator of Drawings and Prints at The Morgan Library & Museum

Location: Stephen Ongpin Fine Art (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, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025.

Sunday, February 2, 11 a.m.

New Exhibitions of Old Master Drawings: Conversations with Curators

Four young curators discuss their recent or upcoming exhibitions that focus on old master drawings. Curators will give short presentations about their exhibitions, followed by a lively panel conversation about their curatorial projects and experiences.

Speakers: Jamie Gabbarelli, Prince Trust Associate Curator in Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago; Edina Adam, Assistant Curator of Drawings, The J. Paul Getty Museum; Clare Kobasa, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, Saint Louis Art Museum; Rosie Razzall, Curator of Drawings, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Moderators: Alesa Boyle, Co-Founder, Trois Crayons, London; Greg Rubinstein, Head of Old Location: Sotheby's New York, 1334 York Avenue

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with Trois Crayons, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. We are grateful to Sotheby's New York for generously providing the venue for this event.

Monday, February 3, 10:30 a.m.

Paris Observed, Paris Imagined: The Drawings of Gabriel de Saint-Aubin

Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (1724-1780) was a prolific and unconventional draftsman whose imagery offers an unparalleled view of life in 18th century Paris. Three speakers 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.

Going Shopping with Saint-Aubin

Speaker: Perrin Stein, Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tinkering on Paper and Copper: Gabriel de Saint-Aubin at the Crossroads of Drawing and Printmaking

Speaker: Rena M. Hoisington, Curator of Old Master and Nineteenth-Century Prints, National Gallery of Art

From Paris to Stockholm: Gabriel de Saint-Aubin's Last Solitary Promenades

Speaker: Kim de Beaumont, Adjunct Professor and Undergraduate Major Advisor for Art History, Hunter College

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue

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

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in association with Master Drawings New York 2025. This event is made possible through the generous support of Hubert and Mireille Goldschmidt, David Leventhal, and Alan Templeton.

Monday, February 3, 1:30 p.m.

Drawings in the Round: Perspectives on Italian Drawings

What goes into preparing for a major exhibition or publication on a singular collection of drawings? This panel brings together three distinct perspectives - those of a scholar, a curator, and a conservator - on three recent or upcoming projects considering Italian drawing collections. The presentations will be followed by a lively conversation.

Speakers: Ashleigh Brown, Paper and Photographic Conservator at the Royal Collection Trust, Windsor; Claire Van Cleave, Independent Scholar; Freyda Spira, Robert L. Solley Curator of Prints and Drawings, Yale University Art Gallery

Moderator: Margaret Holben Ellis, Eugene Thaw Professor Emerita of Paper Conservation, New York University

Location: Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1 East 78th Street

This event 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.

Tuesday, February 4, 10:30 a.m.

Study Session: Inspired by China: Chinoiserie and Export Drawings

China has long been a source of inspiration and fascination for European artists. This study session takes a close look at the Cooper Hewitt's holdings of chinoiserie and export drawings from the 18th and 19th centuries, with a focus on works by Jean-Baptiste Pillement and George Chinnery.

Speaker: Jamie Kwan, Assistant Curator of Drawings, Prints & Graphic Design, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Location: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Study Room

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with Cooper Hewitt, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025.

Tuesday, February 4, 4 p.m.

Annual Master Drawings Symposium

Young scholars and their prize-winning essays are the focus of the annual Master Drawings Symposium, returning in 2025 for its ninth year. The publication Master Drawings awards the best articles by authors under 40 with an annual cash prize and an opportunity to present their findings in front of drawings enthusiasts. Tamara Kobel, the 2024 runner-up, will delve into the fascinating world of Swiss artist Wilhelm Stettler (1643-1708), and will be joined by the soon-to-be-announced 2025 winner for a dynamic afternoon of talks.

Location: Villa Albertine, The Payne Whitney Mansion, 972 Fifth Avenue

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

Wednesday, February 5, 1:30 p.m.

Impacts on Modern Design

How have architecture, jewelry, sculpture, and furniture been influenced by the art of drawing? What details inspire these disciplines? Are nature and culture significant when it comes to moving the arts forward? When computers now generate our visual reality, can we still connect to the skills we once possessed?

Panelists: Michele Oka Doner, Artist; Peter Miller, Founding Partner, Architect, Palette Architecture; Fitgi Saint-Louis, Artist.

Moderator: Savona Bailey-McClain, Executive Director and Chief Curator, West Harlem Art Fund

Location: National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with the West Harlem Art Fund, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025.

Thursday, February 6, 9:30 a.m.

Tour of Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature

Curators Alison Hokanson and Joanna Sheers Seidenstein preview the exhibition Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature at The Met. Opening to the public on February 8, this international loan exhibition brings together more than 75 paintings, drawings, and prints by Friedrich, the celebrated German Romantic artist whose landscapes articulate a profound connection between the natural world and the inner self, or soul.

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025.

Thursday, February 6, 1:30 p.m.

A Long-Kept Secret: The Collection of European Drawings at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford

The collection of European drawings at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford is barely known, yet it boasts numerous significant works. In conjunction with Paper, Color, Line: European Master Drawings from the Wadsworth Atheneum, a large exhibition on view from January 16 to April 27, 2025, this talk explores the rich history of the collection.

Speaker: Oliver Tostmann, Susan Morse Hilles Curator of European Art, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Location: Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with the Wadsworth Atheneum, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025.

Friday, February 7, 10 a.m.

Curator Talk on The Colorful World of Pancho Fierro, Afro-Peruvian Painter

The curator of this recently opened exhibition The Colorful World of Pancho Fierro, Afro-Peruvian Painter discusses Fierro's vivid depictions of Peruvian society, highlighting the extraordinary upward social mobility that was possible in 19th --century Lima, as well as the trans-Pacific networks of exchange that carried Fierro's watercolors across the globe.

Speaker: Dr. Marcus Burke, Senior Curator Emeritus, Hispanic Society Museum & Library

Location: Hispanic Society Museum & Library, 3741 Broadway

This event is organized by The Drawing Foundation in partnership with The Hispanic Society Museum & Library, and in association with Master Drawings New York 2025.