The Courtauld Institute of Art houses one of the most significant collections of works on paper  in Britain, with approximately  6,000 drawings and watercolours and 20,000 prints. The collection ranges from the late Middle Ages to the 20th century avant-garde. It includes a number of internationally renowned masterpieces by artists such as Dürer, Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt, Cézanne and Turner as well as providing a broad account of major national schools and periods.

Executed on paper, drawings and prints are highly sensitive to light. As a result they cannot be on permament public display. However, selections from the collection are shown regularly in a dedicated space in The Courtauld Gallery (room 12). The collection can also be viewed by appointment in the Drawings & Prints  Study Room.