The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace will present an unprecedented exhibition of Italian Renaissance drawings this November. Running from November 1, 2024 to March 9, 2025, “Drawing the Italian Renaissance” will feature approximately 160 works from the Royal Collection, including pieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, and more than 80 others.
The Buckingham Palace exhibition highlights the role of drawing in the Italian Renaissance, with works spanning from 1450 to 1600. Visitors will see over 30 works displayed for the first time, and another 12 pieces will be making their debut in the U.K. In addition, three artists in residence appointed in partnership with the Royal Drawing School will be drawing in the gallery spaces throughout the duration of the exhibition.
“These big, bold, and colorful studies show just how exciting the art of drawing became during this time,” said curator Martin Clayton, in a statement. “The Italian Renaissance would have been impossible without drawings—it was central to every stage of the creative process. These drawings cannot be on permanent display for conservation reasons, so the exhibition is a unique opportunity to see such a wide range of drawings up-close and gain an insight into the minds of these great Italian Renaissance artists.”
“Drawing the Italian Renaissance” is organized into thematic sections, starting with life drawings that demonstrate the use of models to enhance their compositional skills. Highlight pieces include Raphael’s red chalk drawing of one model in three poses, The Three Graces (ca. 1517–18), and Fra Angelico’s head study titled The bust of a cleric (ca. 1447–50). Meanwhile, in a section dedicated to studies of plants and animals, a chalk study of an ostrich attributed to Titian from around 1550 will be displayed in the U.K. for the first time in the renowned landmark of Buckingham Palace.
Across the exhibition, work from lesser-known artists, such as Paolo Farinati and Bartolomeo Passarotti, will help further contextualize the importance of drawing in the movement.
Another major Renaissance exhibition in London this fall will also be landing at the Royal Academy of the Arts, where “Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael” will open on November 9th, exploring the rivalry and influence among these three masters. Also featuring some of the finest examples of these Italian Renaissance artists’ drawings—such as The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist, ca. 1507–08, by Leonardo, also known as Burlington House Cartoon—this exhibition will run parallel to the Buckingham Palace exhibition.
