London, Royal Academy of Arts: »Impressionists on Paper«

From a study to a work of art

With the exhibition Impressionists on Paper: Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec, the Royal Academy of Arts is venturing into relatively unknown territory: the radically new drawings of the Impressionists at the end of the 19th century. The works, which are quite unknown compared to the paintings, will be on view in London beginning November 25.

November 25, 2023
Edgar Degas, Dancers on a Bench, c. 1898
Lent by Glasgow Life (Glasgow Museums) on behalf of Glasgow City Council. Bequeathed by William McInnes, 1944. Photo: © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection
Edgar Degas, Dancers on a Bench, c. 1898. Pastel on tracing paper, 53.7 x 75.6 cm

In the second half of the 19th century, the Impressionists changed art history forever with their now-famous paintings. Less well known are the drawings, watercolors and pastels by the names that were in demand on the art market. The Royal Academy of Arts is now showing 77 of them in London: Impressionists on Paper: Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec brings works on paper into focus that are rarely seen. In the 1880s and 1890s, these works underwent an artistic revaluation. They were no longer sketches or preparatory studies, but full-fledged works of art. This development also contributed to the establishment of the free art market: today it is a matter of course to buy drawings by artists at auctions. The exhibition, which is well worth seeing and offers many new insights into some of the most famous decades in art history, runs from November 25, 2023 to March 10, 2024.

The exhibition covers the development of Impressionism from the 1860s through the iconic exhibitions from 1874 to the early 20th century, when drawings and especially pastels were increasingly presented in public. Works by Mary Cassatt, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Eva Gonzalès, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Odilon Redon, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Vincent van Gogh are among those on show in London.Art.Salon

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, At the Circus: The Encore, 1899
Collection of David Lachenmann
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, At the Circus: The Encore, 1899. Black and coloured chalks on paper, 35.5 x 25 cm

Dive deeper into the art world

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