MDNY 2021 - Wrap-Up Press Release

Noteworthy Sales and Record Viewership at Master Drawings New York 2021
Material from 18 of the World's Leading Fine Art Dealers reimagined for hybrid digital, in person presentation

A very successful edition of Master Drawings New York concluded on Saturday, January 30, with robust sales and record attendance across seven days of newly formatted virtual programming. Continuing the tradition of presenting works of top quality and diversity, Master Drawings New York has maintained its position as the premier showcase for intimate gallery exhibitions displaying drawings, paintings and sculpture spanning 700 years of art history.

Many of the artworks offered were newly discovered or had not been seen on the market in decades, if at all. The 18 participating exhibitors unveiled new surprises to a broad assortment of collectors and institutions. Sales overall were robust, with acquisitions on par with previous years and an array of new conversations continuing beyond the event.

"Throughout our fifteen year history, Master Drawings New York has continuously grown and evolved, and 2021 was no exception," says Crispian Riley-Smith, co-founding director of Master Drawings New York. "This year's digital transformation challenged us in new ways, but brought with it the opportunity to expand access to our world-class programming and connect with our community in new and exciting channels. We look forward to building on this year of growth for many to come."

Highlights of the week included special loan exhibitions, presented by the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College, both centered around the female experience, as well as a Metropolitan Museum of Art Curatorial Lecture on New Areas of Collecting, and a panel discussion Artists of African & Mulatto Descent, 18th to 19th Century, presented by The West Harlem Art Fund. All programming was hosted in partnership with Drawing America - a NY-based group of drawing enthusiasts and practitioners. All events were recorded and are available to view on the MDNY website.

Notable sales at Master Drawings New York included:

Looking back at this unique year, Mireille Mosler of Mireille Mosler, LTD, New York noted: "I was very eager to participate in person in Master Drawings (it was my 11th year), but I didn't know what to expect for the digital version. The preparation was fun though and I chose a single artist, Jan van Goyen, to make the digital exhibition more accessible. It was great to see the enthusiasm in person and online for this special project of Van Goyen's sketchbook drawings. We sold several drawings to private collectors and two drawings that really capture Van Goyen's in situ sketch practice to The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College, the institutional participants in this years Master Drawings."

Jan van Goyen (1596 - 1656)
A village church, 1650
Black chalk, with brush and gray wash on ivory laid paper
95 by 157 mm.
Inscribed '14' and partial watermark
(Inv# JG826)

Jan van Goyen (1596 - 1656)
Landscape with a windmill in the distance, 1651
Black chalk, with brush and gray wash on ivory laid paper
96 by 155 mm.
Inscribed '15'
(Inv# JG82)

 

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"I was delighted to participate in MDNY for the first time and enjoyed connecting with my customers and collectors in New York and indeed from other parts of the US as well," commented Karen Taylor, of Karen Taylor Fine Art, London. "I was pleased to sell a beautiful Edward Lear to a US collector who I knew but to whom I had not sold before. We took time discussing the work, its most interesting story relating to Lear's Tennyson project and its condition and happily he was delighted with the drawing once he saw the actual piece."

Edward Lear (British, 1812-1888)
Pentedatilo, Calabria
Watercolour and bodycolour on laid paper
11.4 x 20.9 cm; 4½ x 8¼ inches
signed with monogram l.r., inscribed l.l.: Pentedatilo

 

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Guy Peppiatt, of Guy Peppiatt Fine Art LTD, London, also noted a successful event with six sales to collectors from both the U.S. and U.K., including a new relationship. Notably, A Lion fighting a Tiger and a Leopard, by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, was purchased by a U.S. based museum. Peppiatt typically travels to New York from London to exhibit during MDNY, this year his exhibition was entirely online.

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, R.A. (1802-1873)
A Lion fighting a Tiger and a Leopard
Pen and grey ink and washes over pencil on laid paper
6 3/4 x 8 7/8 in. • 172 x 227 mm
Signed with initials lower right: EL/1822

 

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About Master Drawings New York
Master Drawings New York (MDNY) was established in 2006 as the New York counterpart to Master Drawings London (now part of London Art Week) and began as an art event dedicated to Old Master drawings on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Scheduled for the last week of January, the event coincides with the major Old Master auctions and The Winter Show. Collectors, scholars, and dealers travel to New York from around the world to view the artwork and participate in events around the city.

Since its inception, MDNY has become one of the top specialist art events in the U.S. and has grown to include paintings and sculptures, spanning all periods. In 2021, eighteen dealers from the US and Europe exhibited online at www.masterdrawingsnewyork.com and in galleries along Madison Avenue, from East 63rd Street up to East 86th Street.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Master Drawings New York (Online and in Select NY Gallery Locations)
Friday, January 22 through Saturday, January 30, 2021

Please visit our website for further information and for MDNY 2022 dates www.masterdrawingsnewyork.com.

 

Press Contacts:
Laura Mortensen, [email protected]; +1 212 829 0002
Colette Sutton, [email protected]; +1 212 829 0002

 

Master Drawing New York Contact:
Allison Wucher, Director, [email protected], +1 650 743 2334

 

2021 Institutional Event Sponsors