Existing comment:
A Family Tradition
The drawings presented here come from the collections formed by Ian Woodner (1903 - 1990) and his two daughters, Dian and Andrea. Ian Woodner was an architect, real estate developer, and amateur artist who began collecting art in the 194Os. His interests were wide-ranging, but he soon focused his attention on old master drawings, and over a period of more than forty years he assembled an extraordinary trove. His daughters came to share their father's passion for these drawings and have become discerning collectors in their own right.
By the 198os Woodner had developed close ties with the National Gallery of Art, making several gifts during that period. After his death in 1990, Dian and Andrea chose the Gallery as the repository for the core of his collection. Since then, they have donated more than 14o drawings that reflect the character and strengths of their father's collection, most notably a large group of German and Italian Renaissance works. They have also funded individual acquisitions for the Gallery and have pledged drawings from their private collections as future gifts, several of which are included in the selection on view.
This exhibition celebrates the Gallery's longstanding relationship with all three Woodner family members and pays tribute to their vision as collectors and their outstanding generosity to this museum. |