Lines of Discovery

Lines of Discovery: 255 Years of American Drawing presents a major new thematic and chronological catalogue survey of the Columbus Museum s most significant holdings of drawings and works on paper, including examples in graphite, charcoal, monotype and pastel. At the heart of the Columbus Museum's collection, and of this volume, is the work of a remarkable individual, Dr. Phillip L. Brewer, who has amassed a truly significant collection of American works on paper - both in terms of its depth and breadth. For the first time this volume, and the accompanying U.S. touring exhibition, presents nearly 200 of these master drawings, 120 of the most important of which are grouped into six chapters, illustrated in full colour, and accompanied by extended catalogue entries written by leading experts. A further 79 works are presented as colour and mono thumbnails interspersed amongst the images of the key works. Included are images by Copley,West and Cole that date from the earliest years of American nationhood; works by Oscar Bluemner, Arthur Dove and Morton Schamberg which herald the advent of modernism; while others by Hans Hoffmann, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Blanche Lazzell and Rico Lebrun confirm its continued presence through such varied expressions as social realism, surrealism and abstraction. While artists like Milton Avery, Jack Beal, Paul Cadmus, Philip Evergood, Nancy Grossman, and Louise Nevelson explore the strength and beauty of the human form, James Valerio and Andrew Wyeth document the changing faces of the natural world. Together these works, and Lines of Discovery, offer a comprehensive survey of the history of American art.

Stephen C. Wicks is Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, The Columbus Museum. Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr. is Curator of American Art, Fogg Museum, Harvard University. Charles T. Butler is Director of The Columbus Museum. Philip L. Brewer is a Columbus Museum Trustee and collector.