Europe on Paper: The Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection

Visually stunning, thought-provoking, and wide-ranging, Europe on Paper: The Ernst Pulgram and Frances McSparran Collection features forty-seven works on paper—drawings, prints, and watercolors from the eighteenth to the twentieth century—that focus on the expressive capacities of line and its ability to articulate the seen and unseen. Showcased are some important twentieth-century Austrian and German expressionist artists, including Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Ernst Kirchner, and Oskar Kokoschka, who paved the way for future generations of the avant-garde, and the Italian Giovanni Battista Piranesi, one of the most inventive draftsmen and printmakers of the eighteenth century. The works in this multi-faceted collection capture artistic compulsions and creative responses to the physical and spiritual world, from tangled, emotionally embroiled nudes to meticulous landscapes and architectural vistas. This exemplary gift from late U-M professor emeritus Ernst Pulgram and his wife, associate professor emerita and chief editor of the Middle English Compendium, Frances McSparran, offers a glimpse into the rich history of European graphic art.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.