Fine Lines: Works on Paper from the Masterson Collection Through October 1, 2023
Edward Lear, Forest Landscape, c. 1838–48, ink and wash on laid paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
George Romney, Lady Hamilton, 18th century, pen and brown ink on paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Hercules B. Brabazon, Sudan, c. 1860–80, watercolor on wove paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Thomas Gainsborough, Untitled (A Wooded Landscape), early to mid-1750s, graphite on laid paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III in honor of Mrs. Meredith J. Long.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Catherine Julie Xavier de la Chabeaussière, Comtesse de Nègrepelisse, late 18th century, black and red chalk on laid paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Jean Antoine Théodore Gudin, Boat at Sea, 1834, graphite on wove paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Pompeo Batoni, Male Academic Nude, 1765, charcoal heightened with black chalk and white chalk on blue-gray paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Rienzi, the MFAH house museum for European decorative arts, presents special exhibitions that are included with general admission. The house is closed during August every year, so “Fine Lines” is on view through July 30 and reopens September 1.
Carroll Sterling Masterson and Harris Masterson III, Rienzi’s founders, assembled a remarkable collection of European decorative arts. They enriched the collection with works on paper, providing the opportunity to view two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects together. Fine Lines highlights, for the first time, watercolors, drawings, prints, and books brought together by these dynamic collectors.
A work on paper offers a degree of immediacy and insight into the artist’s mind that creates an intimate encounter between the artist, work of art, and viewer. The Masterson Collection comprises works on paper from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries by English, French, and Italian artists, including drawings by Pompeo Batoni, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Thomas Gainsborough, and George Romney.
Some of the drawings in Fine Lines are preparatory sketches for works in other media, offering an understanding of the creative process, and others were made as independent works of art. Subjects range from studies of nature, places, and the human figure to literary scenes and portraiture.
Fine Lines: Works on Paper from the Masterson Collection / March 4–July 30, 2023 / September 1–October 1, 2023
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
