Celebrating 300 Years of Collecting in Dresden
"Portrait of an Older Man," circa 1435–40, Jan van Eyck. Silverpoint and goldpoint on white prepared paper; Kupferstich-Kabinett, Dresden.]
Van Eyck to Mondrian: 300 Years of Collecting in Dresden, presented by the Morgan Library & Museum, focuses on the vast drawing collection of the Kupferstich-Kabinett in Dresden, Germany. The Morgan, which has a longstanding tradition of bringing American viewers works from exceptional institutions abroad, will serve as the sole American venue for this exhibition. Van Eyck to Mondrian seeks to celebrate the Kupferstich-Kabinett’s exceptional collection and call attention to its historically global approach. The museum was established by Augustus II the Strong, Elector of Saxony, in 1720, and is one of the oldest depositories of works on paper in the world. The exhibition will coincide with the 300th anniversary of its founding.
Color Design for the Salon of Ida Bienert (Floor Plan/Vertical Plan, Full View), 1926, Piet Mondrian. Opaque watercolor and graphite pencil, Kupferstich-Kabinett, Dresden.
The exhibition will track the history of European draftsmanship and mark pivotal moments and key themes in the genre, while also exploring how the Kupferstich-Kabinett came into existence and how it continues to connect with art of the present. Comprised of sixty works, it will feature a range of celebrated artists from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries such as Jan van Eyck, Rembrandt, Bronzino, Klimt, and Mondrian – including van Eyck’s Portrait of an Older Man (c. 1435-40), the only surviving drawing by the painter.
Van Eyck to Mondrian will be on view at the Morgan through January 23, 2022. For more information about the exhibition please visit https://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/van-eyck-to-mondrian.