This November, Buckingham Palace’s King’s Gallery will transform into a haven for art lovers with the opening of “Drawing the Italian Renaissance,” a major exhibition dedicated to the art of draftsmanship from one of the most celebrated periods in history. Running from November 1, 2024, through March 9, 2025, the show promises to be the most extensive display of Renaissance drawings ever seen in the U.K.
“Drawing the Italian Renaissance” will feature 160 works by over 80 artists, spanning the years 1450 to 1600. The exhibition will offer a rare opportunity to view the creative processes of some of the greatest artists of the era, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. These artists, revered for their mastery of painting and sculpture, also relied heavily on drawing to develop and refine their ideas—a fact that the exhibition seeks to highlight.
Martin Clayton, the curator of the exhibition, underscores the importance of drawing during the Renaissance: “These big, bold, and colorful studies show just how exciting the art of drawing became during this time. The Italian Renaissance would have been impossible without drawing—it was central to every stage of the creative process.” The exhibition will also reveal how artists like Raphael and Michelangelo used drawing not only as a tool for creating final works but as a way to experiment and solve creative problems.
Visitors to the exhibition will encounter a wide array of works, from preliminary sketches to detailed studies that were instrumental in the creation of some of the period’s most iconic art. Among the highlights are Raphael’s The Three Graces, Michelangelo’s The Virgin and Child with the Young Baptist, and a chalk study of an ostrich attributed to Titian. The show also includes lesser-known but equally fascinating pieces, such as Fra Angelico’s The Bust of a Cleric, made in preparation for a fresco in the Vatican.
In addition to these treasures, the exhibition will feature 12 drawings never before shown in the U.K. and more than 30 works from the Royal Collection that have never been displayed publicly. This makes the exhibition a truly unique opportunity for art enthusiasts to experience the breadth and depth of Renaissance draftsmanship.
The exhibition will also explore the evolution of life drawing during the Renaissance. Unlike later artists such as Rembrandt, who often sketched people in everyday situations, Renaissance artists typically relied on models posing in the studio. This method is exemplified in Raphael’s The Three Graces, which was created as a preparatory drawing for a fresco. The show will also include one of the oldest life drawings in existence, Fra Angelico’s The Bust of a Cleric, dating back to around 1447–50.
But “Drawing the Italian Renaissance” is not just a retrospective. In partnership with the Royal Drawing School, the gallery will host three contemporary artists in residence throughout the exhibition’s run. These artists will work in the gallery, providing visitors with a live demonstration of how the techniques and principles of Renaissance draftsmanship continue to influence art today. Moreover, visitors will have the chance to engage with the creative process themselves, as the gallery will provide pencils and paper for those inspired to try their hand at drawing.
For anyone interested in the intersection of art history and the creative process, “Drawing the Italian Renaissance” is an unmissable event. The exhibition not only offers a rare chance to view works by some of the most significant figures in Western art but also invites visitors to explore the foundational role of drawing in the creation of these masterpieces.
Mark your calendars for this exceptional exhibition, which opens at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, on November 1, 2024, and runs through March 9, 2025. It’s a journey into the heart of the Italian Renaissance that promises to leave a lasting impression.
