This beautiful and scholarly catalogue accompanies the exhibition Mantegna to Matisse: Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, organized by Colin B. Bailey, the Frick's Associate Director; Peter Jay Sharp, Chief Curator; and Stephanie Buck, Martin Halusa Curator of Drawings at The Courtauld Gallery. The drawings represent a survey of the extraordinary of Italian, Dutch, Flemish, German, Spanish, British and French artists active between the late Middle Ages and the early twentieth century.

This newest volume in Hudson Hills Press's acclaimed series about leading collections of master drawings presents sixty-eight great sheets, all reproduced in full-color, including many versos, from one of the finest college museums in America.

Consummate painter, draftsman, sculptor, and architect, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) was celebrated for his disegno, a term that embraces both drawing and conceptual design, which was considered in the Renaissance to be the foundation of all artistic disciplines. To his contemporary Giorgio Vasari, Michelangelo was “the divine draftsman and designer” whose work embodied the unity of the arts. Beautifully illustrated with more than 350 drawings, paintings, sculptures, and architectural views, this book establishes the centrality of disegno to Michelangelo’s work. Carmen C. Bambach presents a comprehensive and engaging narrative of the artist’s long career in Florence and Rome, beginning with his training under the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio and the sculptor Bertoldo and ending with his seventeen-year appointment as chief architect of Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. The chapters relate Michelangelo’s compositional drawings, sketches, life studies, and full-scale cartoons to his major commissions—such as the ceiling frescoes and the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, the church of San Lorenzo and its New Sacristy (Medici Chapel) in Florence, and Saint Peter’s—offering fresh insights into his creative process. Also explored are Michelangelo’s influential role as a master and teacher of disegno, his literary and spiritual interests, and the virtuoso drawings he made as gifts for intimate friends, such as the nobleman Tommaso de’ Cavalieri and Vittoria Colonna, the marchesa of Pescara. Complementing Bambach’s text are thematic essays by leading authorities on the art of Michelangelo. Meticulously researched, compellingly argued, and richly illustrated, this book is a major contribution to our understanding of this timeless artist.

The Courtauld Gallery holds the most important group of works by Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) in Britain. This book presents the entire collection for the first time, with major paintings such as the iconic Montagne Sainte-Victoire (1887) and Card Players (1892-95) shown alongside rarely seen drawings and watercolors.

A fascinating record of the early years of Thomas Lawrence: the story of an exceptional young portraitist and future president of the Royal Academy. Like his Renaissance predecessors Raphael, Michelangelo and Dürer, the young Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) was considered to be a boy genius. This survey of Lawrence's first twenty-five years tells the story of an exceptional artist growing up at the end of the century when Britain created its own unique artistic voice. It accompanies a major exhibition at the Holburne Museum in Bath and includes previously unpublished works as well as some of Lawrence's most brilliant masterpieces. Lawrence first came to public attention when he was cited in a scientific paper on 'early genius in children'; shortly afterwards his family moved to Bath where the eleven-year-old was kept busy making likenesses of the spa town's fashionable visitors. By 1790, his spectacular portraits were the most applauded works in the Royal Academy's annual exhibition, which opened days before his twenty-first birthday. This book considers the young artist's self-image as a prodigy, the impact of Bath's rich cultural life on his formation, the rapid development of his painting technique following his move to London, and his use of celebrity, print media and the Royal Academy to grow his reputation. Particular attention is given to Lawrence's perceptive depictions of old age and bold celebrations of youthful energy. His portraits from this time present a fascinating glimpse of British high society at the turn of a memorable century: they include celebrities such as the Duchess of Devonshire, Emma Hamilton and actresses Sarah Siddons and Elizabeth Farren, as well as political leaders, members of the Bluestocking circle and the Royal Family.

'The Art of Drawing' covers the wider history of drawing in Britain exploring the role crucial drawing has played in British art. Featuring works by foremost British artists from the early 17th century right up to the present day, this book offers fresh insights into the range of ways these artists have used drawing to think on paper, build up ideas and make finished exhibition pieces.

Catalog of an exhibition held at The Courtauld Gallery, London from February 26-May 25, 2015.