Regarded as one of the country’s foremost scholars of 19th-century French art, Gabriel P. Weisberg has worked closely with his wife, Yvonne, to amass a significant collection of art. For nearly forty years the Weisbergs have used their knowledge and connoisseurship to unearth exceptional drawings, notably those with realist and naturalist themes. The result is a collection, represented by the 36 artists included here, that illuminates the scope and diversity of French and Belgian draftsmanship from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century.
The works range from meticulous charcoal studies to loose watercolor sketches, from layered pastels to sheets that combine multiple mediums in innovative ways. From preliminary studies for mural designs to highly finished landscapes, the drawings gathered here expand our view of this momentous period in the history of art.