Exhibition of Old Master Drawings from Portuguese Collections at the Fitzwilliam Museum

A major loan exhibition of 128 of the finest European Old Master drawings are on show this summer at Cambridge University's Fitzwilliam Museum.

"Three Studies of the Head of a Young Woman Wearing a Hat", by Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), in red, black and yellowish-white chalk with some graphite - one of the many drawings on show at the exhibition.

Open until 13 August 2000, the recently opened exhibition includes a range of major works on loan from from public and private Portuguese collections.

Many of the works are little-known or studied. Predominantly Italian, they include examples by Leonardo da Vinci and Polidoro da Caravaggio. There are also superb examples by important masters of other European schools, including Albrecht Durer, Hendrick Goltzius, Jacob van Ruisdael, Nicolas Poussin, Antoine Watteau and Francois Boucher.

Also on display will be works by nine artists who were active in Portugal, including Francisco de Holanda and Domingos Antonio de Sequeira (1768-1837), probably the greatest Portuguese draughtsman before the 20th century.

The travelling exhibition has been organised by the Centro Cultural de Belem (CCB), Lisbon, a privately and state-funded exhibitions centre devoted to both the visual and performing arts. It includes loans from the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga and the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, both in Lisbon; the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Oporto; and several private collections in Portugal.

Further information:
The Fitzwilliam Museum home page