Picasso to Kentridge: Modern Masterpieces on Paper

The exhibition celebrates the art of drawing through 130 outstanding examples of 20th-century works on paper that underscore transformations in this intimate, versatile medium. The artists whose works are presented were motivated by a wide range of philosophies, ideologies, and aims; what they shared was a search for innovative ways to express the century’s new and radical ideas.

Following a broad chronological timeline, the display highlights such major movements as Cubism, Expressionism, Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop art, and Minimalism. Exemplifying the different periods and styles, the drawings are executed in a vast variety of techniques, from telegraphic line drawings to collages and much more. Among the 70 artists represented are Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp, Alberto Giacometti, David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Wassily Kandinsky, William Kentridge, René Magritte, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko.

Picasso to Kentridge: Modern Masterpieces on Paper, which draws on the Israel Museum’s rich holdings, is on display in Jerusalem in advance of its planned presentation at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, in 2022.

The exhibition has been made possible with the generous support of Genesis Philanthropy Group.

Wassily Kandinsky, born Russia, active Germany and France, 1866–1944, Noisy Surroundings, 1927, Watercolor and india ink on paper, 480 x 320, Bequest of Romie and Blanche Shapiro, New York, to American Friends of the Israel Museum, B10.0537