Jacopo Tintoretto (1518–1594) was among the most distinctive artists of the Italian Renaissance, but his drawings have never received the attention they deserve and remain unfamiliar even to many scholars. Drawing in Tintoretto’s Venice will be the first exhibition since 1956 to explore the drawing practice of this major figure of the Venetian Renaissance and will offer an entirely new perspective on Tintoretto’s evolution as a draftsman, his individuality as an artist, and his influence on a generation of painters in northern Italy.

An introductory section of the exhibition will showcase works by Titian, Veronese, Bassano, and other contemporaries as a way to understand both Tintoretto’s sources as well as his originality. The heart of the show, featuring Tintoretto’s distinctive figure drawings—both preparatory drawings and a group of studies after sculptures by Michelangelo and others—will examine the use of drawings within the studio as well as teaching practices in the workshop.