The Fitzwilliam is justly described as a collection of collections.
In common with other curatorial departments, the Museum’s collection of prints and drawings continues to grow through gift, bequest and occasional purchase.
This exhibition is the first of two successive selections of works on paper to celebrate the outstanding generosity of benefactors and donors who have helped to enrich the collections. It also highlights a number of exceptional works bought with funds raised or donated by individuals, charities, and other supporters.
Each tells a story of disinterested commitment to giving for the benefit of others. Preserved, researched and displayed by the Museum – and made globally accessible in digital form – they exit the private sphere to be shared with and enjoyed by all.
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), William Holman Hunt (1827–1910), James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), Paul Delvaux (1894–1994), Natalia Goncharova (1881–1962) and Grayson Perry (born 1960) are among the artists represented in this first exhibition.
