FREE – Adolph Menzel – A World Caught with the Eye and Held by the Pencil

Drawing America will host a conversation about the highly prolific and gifted German draughtsman Adolph Menzel (Breslau 1815 – 1905 Berlin), one of the finest draughtsmen of the 19th century. Menzel, who was never without a sketchbook in his coat pocket, produced thousands of drawings over his lifetime and enjoyed acclaim throughout his long career in Berlin. Join gallery owner, Stephen Ongpin (Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, London), in conversation with Allison Wucher (Director, Master Drawings New York) as they discuss Menzel’s practice and influences. 

The conversation will run for30 minutes and will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A.

Stephen Ongpin established Stephen Ongpin Fine Art in 2006 in the St. James’s neighborhood of London. The gallery focuses primarily on drawings, watercolors and oil sketches from the 16th – 20th centuries. Prior to launching his own gallery, Stephen ran the Prints & Drawings Department at Colnaghi Gallery New York/London and helped establish Jean Luc Baroni Ltd. in London. He is highly dedicated to drawing scholarship and to date has written over thirty catalogs on drawings – typically producing two to three catalogs per year to coincide with his gallery exhibitions. The gallery exhibits in New York every January as part of Master Drawings New York.

Allison Wucher is the director of Master Drawings New York (MDNY). MDNY is a yearly art event (also established in 2006) that takes place on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and comprises gallery exhibitions and events focused on drawings. Allison joined MDNY in 2016 and has since established a number of partnership events with museums and institutions such as The Met, Morgan Library, Cooper Hewitt, New-York Historical Society, and Drawing New York. Outside of MDNY, Allison runs her own art consulting firm, Silverpoint Fine Art, which focuses on projects relating to drawings, prints, and photographs.

For many of us, there will be a learning curve using ZOOM. As far as these interfaces go, it is very user-friendly. As with anything new, it takes a little time to get the hang of it. So here are a few tips:

If you can, use a desktop or laptop. They are the easiest to control, and of course, provide you with the largest image for you to draw from. If those are not available, a tablet works well. A phone works well but can be so tiny that the group aspect can get a little lost.

Try to get the best WiFi connection you can. For many us, that means being in a certain area of our home or office. It will elevate your experience, though almost everyone we worked with has had a good connection.