The center is among the largest and most used facilities of its kind in the nation. Walking into its light-filled Glore Study Room on any given weekday morning, I find it filled with students examining and analyzing works on paper: 17th-century Dutch prints, 19th-century French Impressionist drawings, and contemporary screen prints are only a few of the possibilities from our vast permanent collection of prints and drawings.
I share my belief in the transformative experience of looking at and learning from original objects with London-based artist Bridget Riley, who, through her eponymous foundation, supports student trips to a local museum study room, encouraging young scholars to explore drawings from all periods. Drawing lies at the heart of Riley’s dynamic studio practice and the complex abstract geometric works for which she is best known. It is also the subject of an extensive exhibition on view now. Featuring over 90 sheets from Riley’s personal collection—ranging from figurative drawings she created as a student to her groundbreaking black-and-white optical works and the vibrant color studies she’s still creating today—Bridget Riley Drawings: From the Artist’s Studio is the largest museum presentation of her drawings in over half a century.
This fall I encourage you to experience not only Riley’s drawings but the full range of our offerings. These include an exhibition highlighting another giant of contemporary British art, David Hockney, and his bright and joyous renderings of rural Normandy—created on an iPad—as well as a thought-provoking journey across the world through fabrics used in clothing with Fabricating Fashion. Each in their own way demonstrates a balance between tradition and innovation—a reverence for the past with an eye to the future. I look forward to seeing you here soon.
—Jay A. Clarke, Rothman Family Curator, Prints and Drawings
