Studies, portraits, landscapes, mythological themes and abstraction: in the exhibition Gathered Leaves: Discoveries from the Drawings Vault, the National Gallery of Canada presents highlights from its collection dating from the 15th to the 20th century. Some of the exhibited works of art have never been on public display before. Visitors can look forward to charcoal, ink and pastel drawings as well as watercolors. The exhibits include works by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Théodore Géricault, Gustav Klimt, Edgar Degas, Edvard Munch, William Ward, Aubrey Beardsley, Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon, Glyn Philpot, Vilhelm Hammershøi and Wassily Kandinsky. The exhibition will be on display in Ottawa until April 13, 2025.
The National Gallery of Canada's collection of drawings was founded in 1921 and was the first of its kind in Canada. Since then, the collection has been continuously expanded with high-quality examples from the 15th to the 20th century. Some new acquisitions can also be seen in the current exhibition. Other works include Racehorses (c. 1895-1899) by Degas, which was acquired in 1950, Oenone Refusing to Heal Paris (1816) by Géricault, which has been in the collection since 2017, and Study for the Figure of Innocence in “Innocence Taking Refuge in the Arms of Justice” (1779) by Vigée Le Brun, which was only purchased a few months ago.
