Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)

Isleworth London, 1819 Etching with mezzotint 21 x 28.9 cm In 1804 Turner began renting Sion Ferry House at Isleworth in Twickenham and spent the summer of 1805 making oil sketches from a boat on the Thames. This print is based on those sketches and was published in the penultimate thirteenth part of Liber Studiorum. … Read more

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)

The Chain of the Alps from Grenoble to Chambéri British, 1812 Etching, with mezzotint by W. Say 186 x 288 mm This plate appeared in the tenth part of the Liber Studiorum series, and is based on sketches made during Turner’s 1802 European tour. He travelled specifically to see the Alps and this print belongs … Read more

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851)

Isis London, 1819 Etching, with mezzotint by W. Say 20.9 x 30 cm This image is highly reminiscent of Claude Lorrain and belongs to the elusive ‘E.P’ category. It was published in the forteenth and final installment of the Liber Studiorum series. The ruins in the foreground create a strong sense of an idealised ancient … Read more

Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)

Don’t Scream, Silly (No Grites, Tonta) Madrid, 1799 Etching with aquatint and drypoint Plate: 21.5 x 15.8 cm, mount: 56 x 40.5 cm Plate 74 from Los Caprichos. Goya’s commentary reads: “Poor little Francisca! She was looking for the footman and she met the goblin. But don’t be afraid! The goblin is in a good … Read more

Emil Nolde (1867-1956)

Prophet Berlin, 1912 Woodcut 49.5 x 36.5 cm; mount 73 x 59 cm In this deliberately roughly-cut woodcut of an unnamed prophet, the thick hair and beard merge with the blackness of the background. Nolde pursued a unique spiritual path and sought to express his own, truly German, art. Purchased 1996 (No. 96.5)

Max Ernst (1891-1976)

Birds in Green, Rain USA, 1959 Etching with aquatint and mixed techniques printed in colours Forms of birds and hands frequently appear in this pattern of lines. Highly influenced by Sigmund Freud’s theories of the mind, Ernst experimented with automatic drawing, in which he used uncontrolled strokes in an attempt to represent the unconscious visually. … Read more

Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945)

Help Russia Berlin, 1921 Lithograph A suffering and emaciated man is embraced by two pairs of tough-looking hands. Designed as a propaganda poster during the Russian Civil War, this lithograph demonstrates the artist’s sensibility to the social conditions of the working class. The print medium serves as a useful tool for spreading pacifist and political … Read more

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Nude in Three-Quarter Profile, Part of the Head cut away Paris, 1913 Crayon transfer lithograph on Japanese paper 50.4 x 33.1 cm  Matisse’s nude figure is an expression of neither idealism nor realism.  With its simple but strong lines and cropped features, it is, rather, an almost abstract product of pure drawing. The image would … Read more

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

Le Divan Japonais Montmartre, Paris, 1892, published January 1893 Colour lithograph Toulouse-Lautrec established his name with poster designs, particularly those made to advertise the cabaret, Le Moulin Rouge. Many of his posters were heavily influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e prints, with their large flat areas of colour, stylised shapes and strong outlines. One of Toulouse-Lautrec’s unrivalled … Read more

after Rubens, Peter Paul (1577-1640)

Portrait of Helena Fourment? Antwerp, 1630-1635 Drawing with black and red chalk heightened with white 561 x 351 mm Both the former attribution to Rubens and the identification of the sitter as Helena Fourment are doubtful, and compromised by poor condition. The traditional identification of the sitter as the artist’s second wife stems from the … Read more

Follower of Rembrandt, Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-1669), possibly Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678)

Study of a Nude Youth Amsterdam, about 1646 Pen and ink with brown wash  274 x 160 mm Rembrandt and his pupils are known to have made life drawings of naked male models in about 1646. The model here was possibly Rembrandt’s young student Willem Drost. He appears in a number of studio drawings by … Read more

The Pastoral and the Sublime

Vast, desolate and dramatic landscapes are shown alongside vistas of inhabited, peaceful countryside in this display of works on paper by British artists from 1780 to 1880. It showcases three stunning watercolours by Birmingham-born artist David Cox, recently donated to the gallery, as well as superb watercolours, drawings and prints by Gainsborough, Turner and Constable, among others. Th e display explores the … Read more

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Jacqueline in Profile, Turned to the Right France, 1958 Lithograph 65.5 x 50.5 cm Picasso met the young divorcée Jacqueline Rocque in 1954 and, eight years later, she became his second wife. This is one of a series of prints he made of her in the late 1950s, the majority of which depict her bust-length. … Read more

ALBRECHT DÜRER (1471-1528)

The Bath House Nuremberg, about 1496 Woodcut 388 X 282 MM Dürer depicts an open-air bath house of a kind that was popular in northern Europe around 1500. Male figures are shown at different ages and in varied and complex poses, created by a network of crisp lines that curve and trace the surface of … Read more