Exploring the diversity and accomplishment of drawing across Italy between 1450 and 1600, the exhibition will feature around 160 works by over 80 artists including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, all drawn from the Royal Collection, which holds one of the world’s greatest collections of Italian Renaissance drawings. Over 30 works will be on display for the first time, and a further 12 have never been shown in the UK.
The UK’s most comprehensive exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings, Drawing the Italian Renaissance, will open this November at The King’s Gallery in London. Featuring around 160 works by over 80 artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian, the exhibition marks the first time many of these masterpieces will be on display in the UK, with over 30 works making their debut.
Curator Martin Clayton emphasizes the unique nature of the exhibition: “The Royal Collection holds an astonishing array of Renaissance drawings. These big, bold, and colourful studies show just how exciting the art of drawing became during this time. This is a rare opportunity to see these works up-close and delve into the minds of the great Italian Renaissance artists.”
Arranged thematically, Drawing the Italian Renaissance explores drawing as a transformative art form in the period from 1450 to 1600. Highlights include Raphael’s famous The Three Graces and Fra Angelico’s The bust of a cleric, along with rare studies by lesser-known artists. Many of these drawings served as preparatory studies for projects in painting, sculpture, and architecture, reflecting the boundless creativity of the time.
A dedicated section on the natural world will showcase Titian’s chalk study of an ostrich—an exotic subject in 16th-century Venice. Leonardo’s fantastical costume study for a masque, created for the French King Francis I, adds another layer of intrigue to the exhibition.
Visitors will also be invited to draw within the gallery, with materials provided. Additionally, artists-in-residence from the Royal Drawing School will be live sketching, offering guests a glimpse into the continued legacy of Renaissance drawing techniques.
The exhibition runs from 1 November 2024 to 9 March 2025 at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, promising an unparalleled journey into the creative genius of the Italian Renaissance.