We often encounter hand drawings in museums today, but originally most had a different, smaller audience. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles explores the fascinating history of this medium in Finding an Audience: 19th-Century Drawings. The show opens Sept. 26.
Some great 19th-century hand drawings were shown in salons, almost on a par with oil paintings. Most of them fulfilled − with equally high quality! − other purposes: they were often studies for paintings, gifts to friends or relatives, or they were sold directly to collectors for private ownership. Drawings usually found a large audience during the 20th century or even in the 21st century in museum exhibitions. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles is taking the historical realities 200 years ahead of our time with Finding an Audience: 19th-Century Drawings, which will offer nearly 40 exhibits, some of them spectacular, from Sept. 26, 2023, to Jan. 7, 2024.
Among the artists are many famous representatives such as Sarah Stone, Edgar Degas, Gustav Klimt, Joseph Mallord William Turner, William Turner of Oxford, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and John Martin. Curated by Julian Brooks, the exhibition offers a wealth of fascinating background on the works, such as this one: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was an alcoholic and suffered from dementia, so his mother had him hospitalized for his aggressive behavior. There, he made drawings of circus scenes from memory to prove his sanity. It worked, he was released: »I bought my freedom with drawings«, the artist is said to have declared afterwards.
Continuation of the anniversary exhibitions: In 2026, Georg Brandner will celebrate his 70th birthday and his 50th anniversary as a freelance artist. He is presenting his works in various Austrian cities, with the next stop being Wolfsberg: On June 30 at 6:30 p.m., the exhibition Georg Brandner – 70 Years of Art will open at Galerie Atelier Berndt.
An exhibition on the conservation and restoration of unusual materials in works of art: On June 27, the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst in Ghent will open the exhibition Joseph Beuys | Wirtschaftswerte: a conservation history, centered on Beuys’s renowned work.
