NEW YORK, NY.- New York City will welcome nearly 30 of the world’s leading dealers in Master Drawings from January 24th through January 31st when the ninth edition of Master Drawings New York hosts themed exhibitions in more than two dozen Upper East Side galleries between East 63rd and 93rd Streets.

Founded in 2006 as a way to draw upon and buttress the presence of collectors and museum officials during the important January art-buying events, including the Old Master auctions and The Winter Antiques Show, Master Drawings New York has become an important part of the winter art scene in its own right, attracting the most influential dealers not only in New York but in England, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

Master Drawings New York showcases important pencil, pen and ink, chalk and charcoal drawings, as well as oil on paper sketches and watercolours, created by iconic artists working in the 16th to 21st centuries. Each exhibition is hosted by an expert specialist in master drawings.

Master Drawings New York has received critical acclaim for orchestrating a showcase for fine art works that cut across the full range of styles, centuries, mediums and genres, and for providing greater accessibility to fine art at price points that range from several thousand dollars to several million.

London drawings dealer Crispian Riley-Smith, who coordinates New York’s week-long event as well as its sister event during London Art Week each July, says, “By agreeing to coordinate their exhibitions during a single week in galleries on New York’s Upper East Side, the world’s most respected dealers in master drawings have made it easier for both private and institutional clients to see the newest items on the market from the very top tier of specialists. For individuals interested in learning more about the quality and range of drawings on offer, there’s simply no better way to expose yourself to the very finest examples during a single week each year.”

New York Old Masters specialist Margot Gordon, who co-founded Master Drawings New York with Riley-Smith nine years ago, says, “We are delighted to see how well known Master Drawings week has become as it has matured, with probably the most diverse array of representative artworks created between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries presented in both a lively and informative manner.”

Gordon adds, “People who love master drawings understand that each stroke of the pen or pencil represents the very first creative spark of the artist. You are being invited to enter the artist’s mind and share his passion. No other art form quite expresses an artist’s creativity as well as a good drawing.”

Over the years both founders of Master Drawings New York have seen that visitors are “surprised to see that not all our drawings date to the early centuries. We have member dealers who specialize in modern and contemporary works too. From illuminations drawn during medieval times, to preparatory studies for iconic masterworks by artists of the renown of Raphael, Titian, and Gainsborough, to sketches by Picasso and Miro, what visitors love is that they can enjoy the full range of drawing options in the course of an afternoon visiting a handful of East Side galleries.”

To make Master Drawings New York as comprehensive as possible, each dealer puts his or her individual stamp on their own exhibitions. They invite and entertain their private and museum clients as they like but also stage a Private Preview for clients the day before Master Drawings New York officially begins. In 2015 that will be Friday, January 23, from 4 to 8pm.

London dealer Stephen Ongpin says, “Having participated in Master Drawings New York since its inception, I have found that it has become one of the most important events of the gallery's calendar. In previous years drawings have been acquired from my exhibitions at MDNY by several American and European museums, as well as a significant number of private collectors. The range of works shown at MDNY, covering five centuries of drawings, watercolours and oil sketches, is one of its great strengths, and during the week the participating galleries become meeting places for curators, collectors and scholars, as well as, of course, all lovers of drawings. A particular highlight of my exhibition planned for the forthcoming 2015 edition of MDNY will be a selection of 18th, 19th and 20th century works in the medium of pastel, accompanied by a catalogue.”

Connecticut dealer Mia Weiner adds, “Crispian has been a thoughtful and excellent organizer and there was never a better venue for me as a drawings dealer.”

Each year noted experts on the subject have contributed to the Master Drawings New York brochure. They include William Griswold, Director The Morgan Library and Museum, New York; Cara Dufour Denison, Curator Emerita Drawings and Prints at The Morgan; Rhoda Eitel-Porter, former Curator and Department Head, The Morgan Library; Isabelle Derveaux, Curator Modern and Contemporary Drawings, The Morgan Library; Rick Scorza, Thaw Senior Fellow Morgan Drawing Institute; and Margaret Holben Ellis, Eugene Thaw Professor of Paper Conservation and Director, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University and Director, Thaw Conservation Center Morgan Library & Museum. Artist Eric Fischl wrote the foreword for the 2014 brochure.

Cara Denison says, “Master Drawings New York is an indispensable event for lovers of drawings.”