A beautiful building housing one of the UK's finest collections of fine and decorative art.
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A beautiful building housing one of the UK's finest collections of fine and decorative art.
Old Master Drawings
Fifteen of the works from the exhibition are featured in this 'Mantegna to Rubens' book.
Buy it now online.
'British Watercolours and Drawings', which is also available to buy online.
Group tours of the exhibition are available led by fine art specialists. It includes a two course lunch plus tea and coffee (mimimum group size: 30 people.) Call 0151 478 4847 for more information.
Detail of 'Head and Shoulders of a Youth', Guido Reni (about 1614)
Featuring 31 works from the Old Master collections of the Lady Lever and Walker Art Galleries, this exhibition explores how artists have made use of drawing over the centuries.
Some used drawing as a warm-up exercise to loosen their wrists before starting a painting or sculpture, while others used drawing as part of the creative process. This exhibition shows how artists approached their work, from a humorous sketch to a highly-finished altar design.
Among the drawings are 'God creating Adam' by Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640). Rubens was just 23 when he copied 'God creating Adam' painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome by Michelangelo. Some view his drawings as more naturalistic and animated than Michelangelo's original.
Sixteen of the works were bought in 1995 from the Weld-Blundell Collection, formerly at Ince Blundell Hall, near Liverpool.
Use our zoom feature on the images below to get a closer look at the drawings on display.
‘Study for the Circumcision'
Peter Paul Rubens
'Three Reclining Gods'
Giorgio Vasari
‘Ulysses and the Rings’
Francesco Primaticcio