Modern Drawings

The first look at an outstanding group of modern drawings by European and American masters.  The works in Modern Drawings, presented here for the first time, were assembled by the late collector Howard Karshan and his wife Linda and recently gifted to the Courtauld Gallery in London. Accompanying their exhibition at the Courtauld, this catalog features drawings by renowned artists including Paul Cézanne, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, Sam Francis, Cy Twombly, Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz, and more. A significant new addition to the Courtauld's collection, the works demonstrate the expressive power and rich variety of drawing as an art form. The drawings are characterized by innovative mark-making and distinctive use of line, from Cézanne's radical watercolors to Louis Soutter's expressive ink finger drawings to abstract compositions made by Henri Michaux while experimenting with mescaline to explore the subconscious. The fully illustrated catalog includes detailed entries on each work, an interview with Linda Karshan, and two accompanying essays.