Pen to Brush: British Drawings and Watercolours

A watercolour view by JMW Turner of Rome from San Pietro in Montorio i Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1851), Rome from San Pietro in Montorio, Circa 1820-21, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) © The Courtauld

The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery
19 Nov 2021 – 27 Feb 2022

Pen to Brush, the opening display in the dedicated Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery, features highlights from The Courtauld’s remarkable collection of British drawings and watercolours.

They range from one of the earliest and smallest works in the collection, a pen and ink drawing by Isaac Oliver measuring just 47 x 59 mm (around 1565-1617), to Henry Moore’s powerful wartime Shelter Drawing (1942).

Works from the ‘golden age’ of British watercolour include examples by J.M.W. Turner, John Constable and Edward Dayes’ panoramic view of Somerset House from the Thames. A highlight is little-known abstract drawing, Vorticist Composition with Figures, Black and White (1915), by Helen Saunders, one of only two female members of the early 20th-century avant-garde Vorticist group.

This display is included in the admission ticket to The Courtauld Gallery.

This event has passed.

19 November - 27 February

The Courtauld Gallery  The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Drawings Gallery 

Virtual tour

You can now explore Pen to Brush in a new virtual tour, on the Vortic art platform.

Launch the tour
Virtual reality gallery interior

You might also like

painting of a man with a bandage covering his ear

The Collection

Explore The Courtauld’s remarkable collection of paintings, prints and drawings, sculpture and decorative arts. ...

image of the Courtauld's great room showing paintings of Cezanne on the wall

Plan your visit

Find all the information you need ahead of your visit to The Courtauld Gallery from admission prices to how to get here and more....

painting of a woman bartender looking straight ahead

Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, What's On Highlights

Visit the permanent collection

Open Daily, 10:00 - 18:00

You can now book your visit to see our much-loved collection of masterpieces ranging from the Middle Ages to the 20th century....

Citations