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One of America鈥檚 foremost art dealers, Richard Gray, and his wife, art historian and author Mary Lackritz Gray, have gathered an unparalleled collection of paintings, drawings, and sculpture spanning the 15th century to the present. This exhibition features more than 120 of the couple鈥檚 most dynamic and important works on paper, including Renaissance- and Baroque-era treasures by Guercino, Tiepolo, and Rubens; 19th-century works by masters such as Delacroix, Degas, and Seurat; and stellar examples by acclaimed 20th-century artists Picasso, Matisse, and 惭颈谤贸.

Lifelong Chicagoans deeply involved in the cultural life of city, the Grays have devoted more than half a century鈥攂oth privately and professionally鈥攖o pursuits associated with the visual arts. Their first work on paper was a Paul Klee lithograph received as a wedding present in 1953; ten years later, Richard founded the Richard Gray Gallery, exposing the couple to a much more encyclopedic view of art as he helped major museums and private individuals form collections of real substance and quality. At the same time, the Grays acquired works for their own collection without any specific program, discovering the various pleasures of looking at and living with drawings. This highly personal collection has been shaped by Richard鈥檚 informed eye as a dealer鈥攈is intuitive sense, willingness to take risks and respond to opportunities鈥攁nd Mary鈥檚 historical and contextual approach enriched by her graduate degree in art history. As the reach of their collecting interests in more recent years extended back in time from the modern and contemporary masters they knew so well, the art of drawing has offered a quality of instantaneity, a means to maintain contact with artistic genius across the centuries. The varied, individually important works collectively combine to create a rich and resonant survey of some of the most accomplished draftsmen of the ages.

The public presentation of this private treasure demonstrates that Chicago remains the home of ambitious collections of refined taste. The Art Institute was built by great early collectors鈥擱yerson, Bartlett, Palmer, Buckingham, Worcester, Coburn, and Kimball鈥攁nd continues to be grateful for the generosity of contemporary collectors and their commitment to the cultural life of our city and its citizens. With this exhibition, the Grays have graciously stated, 鈥淲e are pleased to acknowledge that we are presently promising to donate significant works of art from our collection and intend to give over time many more that will become part of the Department of Prints and Drawings鈥檚 world-renowned holdings. In that way, what we have assembled will become part of the shared cultural property of our city and benefit many lives.鈥�