Publisher Description

Over the past century, The Huntington has collected more than 12,000 drawings and watercolors by British artists from the late 16th to mid-20th century. Excursions of Imagination showcases 100 stunning works on paper from this "hidden museum", many of them never published before. This generously illustrated volume features landscape and figurative subjects by the acknowledged masters of the medium-J. M. W. Turner, Thomas Girtin, John Constable, and Henry Fuseli-as well as artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement and such modernists as David Bomberg and Paul Nash. An introduction by curator Melinda McCurdy discusses the formation of The Huntington's British drawings collection. An essay by Ann Bermingham, a historian of British art, places The Huntington's collection within the context of the historical practice of drawing in Britain.

Author Biography

Melinda McCurdy is associate curator of British art at the Huntington Art Museum.Ann Bermingham is professor emeritus of the history of art and architecture at the University of California, Santa Barbara.Christina Nielsen is the Hannah and Russel Kully Director of the Huntington Art Museum.

Table of Contents

Director's Foreword; Introduction: British Drawings at The Huntington; Excursions of Imagination: British Drawing from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century; Catalogue; Selected Bibliography; Photo Credits; Index of Artists

Review

Long-listed for the William MB Berger Prize for British Art History 2023.

Long Description

In tracing the evolution of British drawing over nearly four centuries, Excursions of Imagination highlights objects of innovation and historical importance while underscoring a sense of continuity within the history of the medium.

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