This exhibition featured one hundred works on paper from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, which possesses one of the finest collections of old master drawings in the world. Focusing on Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, and Anthony Van Dyck—the three most significant artists of the Netherlands—with a final section devoted to the group of artists who worked in the shadow of Rubens, the exhibition, curated by A. W. F. M. Meij, included examples of preparatory drawings for paintings and prints, copies of earlier works of art, studies after nature, and personal sketches made for the simple pleasure of drawing, providing a fascinating overview of the variety of functions for which artists used drawings.

Exhibinion Itinerary: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2001); the Frick Art Museum, Frick Art & Historical Center, Pittsburgh (April 5–June 2, 2002); Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, Florida (September 13–November 10, 2002); and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville (November 26, 2002–January 26, 2003).