The Collection

The debut of the Drawings Collection at the Linearis Institute is a celebration of the act of drawing. The scope of periods, media, and styles represented is both broad and bold, and the artists range from the students of Monet to Anonymous.

Although the artists who created them never intended for their drawings to be collected—seeing them as mere sketches to be discarded—these sheets have, in modern times, come to be considered complete works in and of themselves. Beginning in Europe in the latter part of the nineteenth century, this inspired trend to enjoy these thoughtful and oftentimes emotive gestures put down on paper spawned a rich tradition of collecting.

This tradition has, in turn, provided a glimpse into the private understandings of the artists themselves. This allowed people to experience the thought processes behind the works of such masters as Michaelangelo, da Vinci, and David. Thus, these revealing sheets expose facets of the "artist" never otherwise accessible.

Today, the Institute is proud to present the result of its work, offering an impressive selection of a wide range of genre and artists, including École Française, École Italienne, Dutch, Flemish, and British material from the seventeenth to the twentieth century.