The exhibition “From Dürer to Matisse” from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts covers five centuries of European drawing: from the late 15th to the mid-20th century. You can now enjoy a virtual tour of the exhibition from anywhere in the world. The exhibition will be on until 1 November 2020.
Vincent van Gogh. Portrait of a Young Girl, 1888, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
The best pieces of various national schools – Italian, French, German, Dutch, Flemish, and Russian – were selected from the Museum’s rich collection of drawings. Visitors will see rarely displayed artworks by masters such as Dürer, Veronese, Poussin, Rembrandt, Rubens, Watteau, Fragonard, Tiepolo, David, Ingres, Daumier, Friedrich, Bryullov, Degas, Renoir, van Gogh, Vrubel, Kandinsky, Marc, Nolde, Picasso, Léger, Matisse, Malevich, and Chagall. The exhibition gives insight into the variety of graphical methods and different drawing styles and demonstrates the change of styles and artistic schools in the history of drawing, which reflects the general trends of European art over several centuries.
Fernard Leger. The Outin in the Country. (III). Drawing. Ink, gouache, graphite pencil, 1954. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
The exhibition is arranged chronologically, starting with graphic art works by artists of the early German school. These include pieces by Albrecht Dürer and Italian artists of the Renaissance , Mannerism and Baroque periods (V. Carpaccio, Veronese, Parmigianino, D.L. Bernini, etc.). The second section is dedicated to artworks created in the 17th century in Holland, Flanders, and France (Rembrandt, P.P. Rubens, N. Poussin, etc.), and the third section—to the French and Italian graphic art of the 18th century (A. Watteau, F. Boucher, J.-H. Fragonard, H. Robert, J.-B. Greuze, J.-L. David, G.B. Tiepolo, etc.). Farther on, the exhibition embraces different milestones of the 19th century’s history of drawing in Germany, France, and Russia: from romanticism to impressionism and symbolism (C.D. Friedrich, E. Delacroix, K. Bryullov, J.-A.-D. Ingres, J.-B.-C. Corot, H. Daumier, A. von Menzel, E. Degas, P.-A. Renoir, V. van Gogh, H. de Toulouse-Lautrec, M. Denis, O. Redon, M. Vrubel, etc.). Starting from the 19th century, works by Russian graphic artists are presented near pieces created by Western masters to demonstrate their integration in the general European art context. Moreover, this section displays the only graphic artwork by Vincent van Gogh housed in a Russian museum —”Portrait of a Young Girl,” which relates to the painting known as “La Mousmé” stored in the National Gallery in Washington.
Vasiliy Kandinsky. Composition E. Drawing. Watercolours, ink. 1915. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
The White Hall features drawings by masters of the 20th century. In this era, national differences were mainly lost: artists from France, Germany, Russia, Spain, and Italy equally formed the modern artistic language, and the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts makes it possible to show various aspects of this international phenomenon. Visitors will see drawings by F. Marc, E. Nolde, M. Pechstein, P. Klee, W. Kandinsky, K. Malevich, P. Picasso, F. Léger, H. Matisse, M. Chagall, M. Larionov, N. Goncharova, D. de Chirico, P. Filonov, A. Rodchenko, A. Deyneka, and other famous artists.
In addition to the main composition of the exhibit, some items are presented in special showcases found in the permanent exhibition halls alongside paintings. More than 40 drawings are placed in sections with corresponding themes. This exhibiting approach creates a more comprehensive impression of the graphic collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.
Curator: Vitaly Mishin, Lead Researcher of the Department of 19th and 20th Century European and American Art
