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Wadsworth Atheneum
600 Main St, Hartford, CT 06103

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The Wadsworth Atheneum’s rich collection of European drawings, watercolors, and pastels is little-known and rarely seen. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the museum has acquired by purchase and gift a diverse group of nearly 1,250 European drawings of impressive quality. Paper, Color, Line showcases about sixty to seventy highlights on view for the first time in decades. This long overdue exhibition provides a unique survey of artists engaging with the medium over a span of more than five hundred years.

Organized along thematic lines, Paper, Color, Line offers a rich overview of 500 years of draftsmanship in Europe. The variety of schools, techniques, and uses will make for a lively display. While the exhibition explores broader topics such as artistic education, technical innovation, and the art market, it is centered on arresting works that convey the universal appeal of drawings as one of the most revealing expressions of the creative process.