500 Years of Italian Master Drawings on View Jan. 25 through May 11, 2014

DISTRIBUTED ON OCTOBER 28, 2013

500 YEARS OF ITALIAN MASTER DRAWINGS FROM THE PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM ON VIEW JAN. 25 THROUGH MAY 11, 2014

New scholarship illuminates renowned collection of Italian drawings

PRINCETON, NJ –Over 100 masterworks—accompanied by new research and fresh insights—from the Princeton University Art Museum’s distinguished collection of Italian drawings from the 15^th through the early 20^th centuries will be on view in 500 Years of Italian Master Drawings from the Princeton University Art Museum. Rarely seen highlights by such artists as Barocci, Bernini, Carpaccio, Annibale Carracci, Guercino, Michelangelo, Modigliani, Parmigianino, Giambattista and Domenico Tiepolo, Tintoretto, and Veronese will be included in the exhibition, which runs from Jan. 25 through May 11, 2014.

Curated by Laura Giles, the Heather and Paul G. Haaga Jr., Class of 1970, Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Princeton University Art Museum, 500 Years of Italian Master Drawings highlights a broad spectrum of works, ranging from the early Renaissance to early Modernism. Beyond its chronological and stylistic sweep, this panoramic exhibition provides dazzling examples of the pivotal role played by drawing, or “disegno,” in the Italian design process, encompassing both the mental formulation and the physical act of creation—with a particular emphasis on the human figure.

The exhibition, which is organized thematically, represents the results of new scholarship on a significant portion of the Museum’s renowned collection of over 1,000 Italian drawings, and is accompanied by a major scholarly catalogue, Italian Master Drawings from the Princeton University Art Museum.

“Princeton’s superb collection of Italian drawings is an outstanding visual resource that deserves to be more widely known,” said Museum Director James Steward. “This major project is a glorious opportunity to share with the public, through both the exhibition and the catalogue, masterpieces that bring to life the immediacy and dynamism of Italian draftsmanship over the centuries.”

Many of the drawings in the exhibition have benefited from new discoveries concerning attribution, iconography, date, function, and provenance. Among the many noteworthy findings is the discovery, first made in the 1990s, of an architectural sketch by Michelangelo on the reverse side of a study of heads that had been tentatively associated with the artist. The ground plan for an unrealized chapel was revealed through infrared reflectography.

The catalogue is authored and edited by Giles, with major contributions by Princeton University Lecturer in the Department of Art & Archaeology Lia Markey and independent writer and scholar Claire Van Cleave, with additional contributions by other leading specialists in the field. The publication is the first since 1977 to focus on the Museum’s expansive collection of Italian drawings and received major funding from the Getty Foundation.

In addition to the publication, the Museum’s online collections catalogue will be updated with new research and high-resolution images, providing unlimited access to the Museum’s significant holdings of Italian drawings.

500 Years of Italian Master Drawings from the Princeton University Art Museum has been made possible by generous support from Diane W. Burke; Susan and John Diekman, Class of 1965; John H. Rassweiler; the Allen R. Adler, Class of 1967, Exhibitions Fund; the Caroline G. Mather Fund; the Apparatus Fund; and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.  The publication has been made possible, in part, by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with the assistance of The Getty Foundation. Further support has been provided by the Partners and Friends of the Princeton University Art Museum.

# # #

About the Princeton University Art Museum

Founded in 1882, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the leading university art museums in the country. From the founding gift of a collection of porcelain and pottery, the collections have grown to more than 82,000 works of art that range from ancient to contemporary and concentrate geographically on the Mediterranean regions, western Europe, China, the United States, and Latin America.

Committed to advancing Princeton’s teaching and research missions, the Art Museum serves as a gateway to the University for visitors from around the world. The Museum is intimate in scale yet expansive in scope, offering a respite from the rush of daily life, a revitalizing experience of extraordinary works of art, and an opportunity to delve deeply into the study of art and culture.

The Princeton University Art Museum is located at the heart of the Princeton campus, a short walk from the shops and restaurants of Nassau Street. Admission is free. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed Mondays and major holidays.

Please direct image requests to Erin Firestone, Manager of Marketing and Public Relations, Princeton University Art Museum, at (609) 258-3767 or ef4@princeton.edu.