Gathered Leaves: Discoveries from the Drawings Vault is a new exhibition that opens on Saturday at the Audain Art Museum.
The showcase features a number of rarely-seen drawings from the National Gallery of Canada’s (NGC) Prints and Drawings collection. It spans the 15th to 20th centuries while including works in graphite, ink, pastel, watercolour, and more.
Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, Gustav Klimt, Edvard Munch, Marc Chagall and Wassily Kandinsky are among the 84 well-known artists represented in Gathered Leaves. Their 130 offerings run the gamut from preparatory sketches for famous paintings to memorable depictions of history, mythology, portraiture, landscapes, abstraction and more.
"This exhibition is a unique opportunity for audiences to connect with the immediacy and intimacy of drawings by many of Europe’s most celebrated artists—many of which have been hidden from public view for decades," says Dr. Curtis Collins, Director & Chief Curator of the Audain Art Museum, in a press release. "We are proud to collaborate with the National Gallery of Canada in presenting these extraordinary pieces to Whistler residents, as well as visitors from across Canada and around the world."
Jean-François Bélisle, NGC Director and CEO, adds: "A collection more than a century in the making. Many exciting discoveries await visitors to the exhibition. Gathered Leaves is the Canadian debut of international historical drawings recently acquired by the National Gallery of Canada, alongside lesser known but significant works straight from the vault. This exhibition and its accompanying award-winning catalogue celebrate the centennial anniversary of our Department of Prints and Drawings, established in 1921 – the first curatorial division created at the NGC.
"In light of our national mandate to make art accessible to all Canadians, we’re delighted that visitors to the Audain Art Museum will also have the rare opportunity to view remarkable drawings that for conservation reasons are usually kept in the dark."
Gathered Leaves will be on display until Oct. 13. Click here for more details.
