The Brutal Line: Drawing Death, Being, and Becoming

September 16, 2008 – January 4, 2009

Brutal Line

Through focused comparisons between Italian masters and their modern and contemporary counterparts, The Brutal Line examines how artists have used drawn marks to express extreme physical or existential states.

This focused selection combines exceptional drawings from the collections of Richard and Mary L. Gray and the Smart Museum of Art and ranges from the fifteenth century to the present. It provides a unique opportunity for close examination of classic drawings from the past and present.

Download the exhibition handout (PDF) with curator's essay and checklist.

Curator: David Schutter, Assistant Professor, Department of Visual Arts, University of Chicago, in consultation with Stephanie Smith, Smart Museum Curator of Contemporary Art.

Presented in the Joel and Carole Bernstein Gallery for Works on Paper.

Top: Installation view of The Brutal Line. Photo by Tom Van Eynde.
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