Harvard Art Museums has opened a fall exhibition titled “Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black,” featuring around 120 works from the 19th to 21st centuries by artists including Pablo Picasso, John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas, Piet Mondrian, and Georges Seurat. The show focuses on drawings in chalk, charcoal, graphite, and crayon, curated by conservator Penley Knipe and curator Miriam Stewart, who spent over a year selecting rarely seen pieces from the museum’s collection. Highlights include a fragile Degas charcoal drawing, “After the Bath, Woman Drying Herself,” which underwent conservation treatment, and a display of materials such as a box of vine charcoal owned by Sargent. The exhibition also features videos of the curators experimenting with historical techniques, like erasing with bread, and includes a hands-on drawing area styled after a 19th-century academic studio.
This exhibition matters because it elevates drawing—often seen as a preparatory or lesser medium—to a central focus, revealing its expressive power and technical versatility. By showcasing fragile works that are rarely displayed and emphasizing the materiality of drawing tools, the show offers a rare educational opportunity for visitors to understand artistic process and conservation. The inclusion of interactive elements encourages public engagement with art-making, reinforcing the museum’s role in both preservation and accessibility. It also highlights the Harvard Art Museums’ significant collection of works on paper, positioning drawing as a vital and enduring form of artistic expression.