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Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth

2nd August 2021

21 August – 5 December 2021

A major exhibition of Old Master Drawings on loan from one of the UK’s most significant collections will go on display at The Lightbox gallery and museum this autumn. Developed in partnership with Chatsworth House and Sheffield Museums – Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth is the largest display of drawings from the collection in over twenty years and will feature works by renowned artists Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Dürer, Rembrandt, Rubens and more.

Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth

21 August – 5 December 2021

This major exhibition takes us back to one of the most primary, yet fundamental, forms of art: drawing, offering a celebration of the elegance and wonder that both Renaissance and Baroque artists achieved with the simplest of tools.

Lines of Beauty has been developed in partnership with Chatsworth House and Museum of Sheffield and features over 60 highlights from the Devonshire Collection of Old Master Drawings – classed as one of the finest private drawings collections in the world. Many of the works included in the exhibition have rarely been shown outside Chatsworth (where the collection is held), due to their delicate nature, making The Lightbox presentation the largest public display of drawings in over twenty years.

The Old Master Drawings Collection were amassed by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Dukes of Devonshire during the 17th and 18th centuries and includes examples by some of the most important European artists of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Visitors to The Lightbox will be able to view drawings by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Brueghel, Dürer, Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Claude Lorrain, Van Dyk and Veronese.

The exhibition will be displayed thematically allowing audiences to explore landscape, classical and mythological narratives, religion, historical narratives, portraits and studies of the human figure.

The drawings will be contextualised with some information about the 2nd Duke of Devonshire, one of the most significant collectors in the family. A section of the exhibition will also be devoted to exploring materials and drawing techniques used by the artists. The exhibition will also contain a series of specially commissioned films including a film featuring Charles Noble, Curator, Fine Art at Chatsworth House discussing the history of the collection and highlighting key works.

Lines of Beauty provides a truly unique and rare opportunity to experience the vibrancy and emotional power of the works up close, executed by some of the most significant artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The exhibition is kindly sponsored by Bonhams Fine Art Auctioners.

Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth will be on show at The Lightbox in Woking, Surrey, from 21 August – 5 December 2021. The exhibition will be accompanied by a selection of engaging talks, tours and creative workshops. For further information please visit thelightbox.org.uk.