CHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago opened Lines of Connection: Drawing and Printmaking, on view March 15 through June 1, 2025. Featuring more than 90 works on paper by some of the greatest artists in the Western tradition, this is the first major exhibition to explore the multiple connections between drawing and printmaking.


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This exhibition reveals the interconnected relationship and creative exchange between the two mediums, which have historically been viewed separately. Showcasing traditional forms like preparatory drawings for prints, printed imitations of drawings, and drawn copies of prints alongside a selection of hybrid works, the show uncovers the inner workings of these artists’ creative process and offers new ways to think about the links between drawing and printmaking.

“By bringing together this particular selection of works spanning the four hundred years between the emergence of printmaking in Europe and the advent of photography, this exhibition challenges modern hierarchical notions of the clear distinction between media, demonstrating that drawing and printmaking generated, influenced, and at times merged into each other,” Jamie Gabbarelli, Prince Trust Associate Curator, Prints and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago said.

Lines of Connection showcases works from acclaimed artists such as Albrecht Dürer, William Blake, Parmigianino, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Maria Sibylla Merian, and more. Among these remarkable loans enriching this presentation are two drawings of a right hand by famed artist Hendrick Goltzius that have not been shown alongside each other for over a generation, and an impressive drawing by Rembrandt of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper which will make its Chicago debut.

Lines of Connection: Drawing and Printmaking is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the J. Paul Getty Museum. The exhibition is curated by Jamie Gabbarelli, Prince Trust Associate Curator, Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago, and Edina Adam, assistant curator of drawings, The J. Paul Getty Museum.



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