With The Line Up: The Power of Drawing, Centraal Museum Utrecht presents a wide selection of drawings by (inter)nationally renowned artists and upcoming talent, both from Utrecht and (far) beyond. Works from the museum’s own collection are displayed alongside loans and pieces created especially for the exhibition.

Centraal Museum Utrecht offers an extensive and rich overview of the practice of drawing from 1950 to today in his exhibition. Besides works from the collection of the museum, the exhibition offer a few special loans. Centraal Museum owns a very rich collection of drawings from the twentieth century, which it continues to expand in this new millennium. For instance, the Province of Utrecht gifted its extensive collection of contemporary drawings to the museum in 2011. This collection forms the basis of the exhibition. Upon request various artists have created new works for the exhibition. Works of amongst others artists Erik Odijk, Marijn van Kreij, Iris Kensmil and Natasja Kensmil, Mounira al Solh and Bert Möbius will premiere at The Line Up: The Power of Drawing. Robbie Cornelissen, artist from Utrecht, is co-curator and iresponsible for the exhibition design.

In the artist’s mind

The art of drawing is recognisable and accessible for many people. As a medium, drawings are intimately connected to both the visitor and the artist. Drawing, making marks on paper, is a more direct form of transmission, compared to other visual disciplines. Pen, pencil, chalk and marker remain strong, primary tools for the imagination. We are able to recognise the personal handwriting of the artist. By tracing the lines on paper we can imitate, as it were, the drawing hand of the maker. In The Line Up, we follow this act and closely approach the imagination of the artist. In short, this exhibition is about how the art of drawing is practiced and not so much about the result of the practice: the image. The method, the process of drawing, is the primary focus. Visitors are offered a glimpse into the artist’s mind.

Great diversity

Drawings are often categorised according to typology, origin, technique or visual idiom. With The Line Up, Centraal Museum seeks to display the diversity of the phenomenon of drawing: the great variety in techniques, approaches and images. From intimate sketches to monumental wall pieces, from quick scribbles to detailed, figurative elaborations, from pencil on paper to cartoons and animations. The interaction between traditional methods and latest technologies prove that drawing is no anachronism in contemporary art. As such, we are particularly proud to be able to present this splendid list of artists.

The Line Up artists

Armando, Marijn Akkermans, Philip Akkerman, Erik Andriesse, David Bade, Han Bennink, Juliette Blightman, Ansuya Blom, Carel Blotkamp, Eugène Brands, Geta Brătescu, stanley brouwn, James Brown, Machteld van Buren, Constant, Karin van Dam, René Daniëls, Ad Dekkers, Florette Dijkstra, Charles Donker, Marlene Dumas, Marcel van Eeden, Paul van der Eerden, Willehad Eilers, Ger van Elk, Haddasah Emmerich, Pam Emmerik, Helen Frik, Kim Habers, Harm Hajonides, Frank Halmans, Claire Harvey, Rosemin Hendriks, Jeroen Henneman, Han Hoogerbrugge, Alfred Hrdlicka, Thomas Huber, Susanna Inglada, Jörg Immendorff, Henri Jacobs, Allen Jones, Iris Kensmil, Natasja Kensmil, Paul Klemann, Rob van Koningsbruggen, George Korsmit, Paul de Kort, Juul Kraijer, Marijn van Kreij, William Kuik, Erik van Lieshout, Lucassen, Mark Manders, Frank Mandersloot, Bert Möbius, Matthew Monahan, Jans Muskee, Marc Nagtzaam, Erik de Nie, Erkka Nissinen, Mai van Oers, Erik Odijk, Ronald Ophuis, Willem den Ouden, Jorrit Paaijmans, Sef Peeters, Stijn Peeters, Peter Pontiac, Marisa Rappard, Anna Ridler, Johan Rijpma, Jacobien de Rooij, Marcel Reijerman, Vittorio Roerade, Andrei Roiter, Charlotte Schleiffert, Sebastiaan Schlicher, Jan Schoonhoven, Hans Scholze, Sandro Setola, Wim Sinemus, Kees Smiths, Roland Sohier, Renie Spoelstra, Lily van der Stokker, Elly Strik, Joost Swarte, Evelyn Taocheng Wang, Michael Tedja, Toon Teeken, Marjan Teeuwen, Elizabeth de Vaal, Rinus van der Velde, Emo Verkerk, Henk Visch, Carel Visser, Peter Vos, Andor Weininger, Hans de Wit, Halina Zalewska.