A new exhibit will open at the Art Institute of Chicago thanks to a donation of more than 100 works from a prominent city gallery owner and an art historian.
The Art Institute exhibit titled "Pure Drawing: Seven Centuries of Art," assembled from the collection of works from Richard and Mary L. Gray, opens at the museum on Saturday.
“The importance of their gift to the Art Institute cannot be exaggerated, and reflects their abiding love for the museum and the city of Chicago- and for the medium of drawing,” said exhibit co-curator Kevin Salatino.
The donation is one of the most important gifts in the museum's Prints and Drawing department, the Art Institute said. The art spans across more than 700 years with a focus in art forms from Italy, France, Holland and the United States. The exhibit features celebrated artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, Degas and more. Still, the institute acknowledges that the Grays were "less interesting in celebrity than in greatness" and many of their works come from lesser-known artists.
The exhibit remains open through May 10.
