Europe on Paper: The Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection

October 15, 2016 - January 29, 2017

Visually stunning, thought-provoking, and wide-ranging, Europe on Paper: The Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection features forty-seven works on paper—drawings, prints, and watercolors from the eighteenth to the twentieth century—that focus on the expressive capacities of line and its ability to articulate the seen and unseen. Showcased are some important twentieth-century Austrian and German expressionist artists, including Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Ernst Kirchner, and Oskar Kokoschka, who paved the way for future generations of the avant-garde, and the Italian Giovanni Battista Piranesi, one of the most inventive draftsmen and printmakers of the eighteenth century. The works in this multi-faceted collection capture artistic compulsions and creative responses to the physical and spiritual world, from tangled, emotionally embroiled nudes to meticulous landscapes and architectural vistas. This exemplary gift from late U-M professor emeritus Ernst Pulgram and his wife, associate professor emerita and chief editor of the Middle English Compendium, Frances McSparran, offers a glimpse into the rich history of European graphic art.

Lead support for Europe on Paper: The Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection is provided by the Richard and Rosann Noel Endowment Fund. Additional generous support is provided by the University of Michigan Department of English Language and Literature and Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.
 

Images

Oskar Kokoschka, Cruci xion, 1958, watercolor on paper. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Gift of the Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection, 2007/2.90 

Timeline

Exhibition Timeline

SatOct 15
Exhibition Opens
Sun
Nov 13
In Conversation: The Human Imprint: Exploring the Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection
3pm4pm
Artists and Curators / Exhibitions Related / Gallery Talks and Tours
Thu
Nov 17
SMTD@UMMA: Image in Motion
7:30pm8:30pm
Exhibitions Related / Performing Arts
Sun
Nov 20
Europe on Paper: The Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection
2pm3pm
Gallery Talks and Tours
Sun
Dec 18
Europe on Paper: The Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection
2pm3pm
Gallery Talks and Tours
Sun
Jan 15
People and Places: Exploring the Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection
3pm4:30pm
Artists and Curators / Exhibitions Related
Sun
Jan 29
Europe on Paper: The Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection
1pm2pm
Gallery Talks and Tours
SunJan 29
Exhibition Closes
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