National Gallery of Art presents Albrecht Dürer. Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina an exhibition on view March 24–June 9, 2013.
Albrecht Durer, Reclining Nude, 1501. Brush and pen with black ink, gray wash, heightened in opaque white on green prepared paper; compass hole and construction lines in the area of the belly, overall: 17 x 22.1 cm (6 5/8 x 8 3/4 in.) overall (framed): 38.1 x 42.7 x 3.6 cm (16 3/4 x 15 x 1 3/8 in.) Albertina, Vienna.
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) is widely considered the greatest German artist, the Albertina Museum in Vienna, Austria, will lend to the National Gallery of Art 118 works on paper by Dürer for a magnificent exhibition that will be on view only in Washington. Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina features nearly all of Dürer’s finest watercolors and drawings from the collection of the Albertina, Vienna, as well as 27 of the museum’s related engravings and woodcuts. The exhibition also includes 19 drawings and prints from the Gallery’s own collection.
Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina is a culmination of decades of acquisition, study, and exhibition of early German art at the Gallery. In 1999, the Gallery presented From Schongauer to Holbein, a splendid survey exhibition of early German drawings based on the collections of the Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and the Kunstmuseum Basel. This loan from the Albertina, Vienna is the only other exhibition from a single collection of similar visual impact, quality, and importance.
“The generosity of the Albertina, Vienna in lending their superb works on paper by Albrecht Dürer is overwhelming, and augmented by our own works, this exhibition allows the Gallery to present a fresh and compelling look at Dürer’s practice of drawing,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art, Washington. “We offer our visitors the opportunity to share in the knowledge, appreciation, and pleasure of this extraordinary artist’s work.”
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue NW and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. With the exception of the atrium and library, the galleries in the East Building will be closing gradually beginning in July 2013 and will remain closed for approximately three years for Master Facilities Plan and renovations. For specific updates on gallery closings, visit www.nga.gov/renovation