The Art of it all

Yesterday in New York was overcast with temperatures in the mid-40s. In the early evening, the rains came, taking it down to the high 30s, and cold wet.

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Back in the room, looking at the current calendar, this past Tuesday night, the Argentine Consulate in New York hosted the opening of Tropical Icebergs, a retrospective of the works of Argentine artists Cecilia Duhau. Duhau, who is known for her digital paintings and laser cut sculptures, celebrated her American debut in great company. Guests included Ambassador Marcelo Giusto, Consul General of Argentina, Dimitri of Yugoslavia, Francesco Genuardi, Consul General of Italy, Isabel Achaval, Angela Tassoni, Edgar Batista, Marta Fernandez, Alejandra Cicognani, Dianora Salviati, Rene Alvaro Domingo.

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The Art of it all; the Exhilaration of Discovery. This past Saturday (2/2/19) was the final day of the 13th annual Master Drawing New York. For those of us who don’t much follow the world of art sales, this is one of those secrets: it’s big. This year, for example, the dealers reported outstanding sales, great public interest and sold-out Lecture programs.

For one week at the end of January and the beginning of this month, legions of art collectors, institutions, curators and dealers took over Manhattan’s Upper East Side to participate. 30 of the world’s leading international art experts exhibited an outstanding array of drawings, paintings, watercolors, sculpture and oil sketches from the 14th to the 21st centuries.

Originally conceived as an annual walk-through, Master Drawings New York has become a ‘must see’ event, with its range and influence growing each year. Many works offered were newly discovered or had not been seen on the market in decades, if at all.

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Museum attendance was especially vigorous. Curators and museum professionals visited from J. Paul Getty Museum the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Morgan Library and Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Participating exhibitors agreed. Thomas Deprez, an exhibitor from Belgium, was “absolutely astonished by the amount of interest and activity from the American museums and institutions.”

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One of the big draws was a loan exhibition FIGURE/STUDY: Drawings from the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University from the Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, made possible through a generous contribution from Tomasso Brothers Fine Art. It is currently housed in the Carlton Hobbs mansion at 60 East 93rd Street.

A highlight from this exhibition was the beautiful work by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, British, 1828–1882, Drawing for The Blue Bower, 1865 Pencil; 19 1/4 × 13 inches (48.9 × 33 cm). This drawing has long served both students and seasoned artists as a tool for perfecting representation and experimenting with the human form. With the help of studio models, portrait sitters, and, sometimes, lovers, these representations further the relationship between the artist and the subject’s body or visage. Works from culturally and temporally disparate artists, including Abraham Bloemaert, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Pablo Picasso, show the enduring relevance of the figural study.

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Masters Drawings New York began as a casual gallery walk during the Old Masters auctions and The Winter Antiques Show in New York. Since its co-founding in 2006 by Margot Gordon, an Old Masters specialist based in the city, and Crispian Riley-Smith of London, the week has grown into a highly anticipated occasion. Make sure to mark your calendars for next year’s edition.

In the meantime, here are some of the highlights from the 13th annual Master Drawing New York …

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Photographs by Constanza Mirré (Tropical Icebergs); Jahmel Reynolds (MDNY)