Drawn to Life

This beautifully illustrated catalogue presents a selection of exceptionalseventeenth-century Dutch drawings from the Peck Collection in the AcklandArt Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Featuring manypreviously unpublished and rarely exhibited works, the catalogue brings togetherexamples by some of the best-known artists of the era such as Rembrandt, Jacquesde Gheyn II, Samuel van Hoogstraten, and Frans van Mieris.The collection was donated to the museum in 2017 by the late Drs. Sheldon andLeena Peck. The transformative gift is comprised of over 130 largely seventeenth- andeighteenth-century Dutch and Flemish drawings, establishing the Ackland as one ofa handful of university art museums in the United States where northern Europeandrawings can be studied in depth.Drawn to Life presents around 70 works from this exceptional and diverse group ofdrawings amassed by the Pecks over four decades. Featuring new research and freshinsights into seventeenth-century drawing practice, the catalogue and accompanyingexhibition celebrates the creativity and technical skills of Dutch artists who exploredthe beauty of the natural world and the multifaceted aspects of humanity.The catalogue features a broad selection of scenes of everyday life, landscapes,biblical and historical scenes, portraits, and preparatory studies, forming a dynamicand representative group of Dutch drawings made by some of the most outstandingartists of the period, including Abraham Bloemaert, Jacob van Ruisdael, Esaias van deVelde, Bartholomeus Breenbergh, Pieter Molijn, Aelbert Cuyp, Adriaen van Ostade,Ferdinand Bol, Nicolaes Maes, Jan Lievens, Gerard ter Borch, Adriaen van de Velde,Nicolaes Berchem, and Cornelis Dusart. Key sheets of remarkable quality by lesserknownartists such as Guillam Dubois, Herman Naiwincx, Willem Romeyn, and Jacobvan der Ulft, also comprise a core strength of the collection, and serve as a testamentto the visual acuity of the Pecks as collectors.At the heart of the Peck Collection are several sheets by Rembrandt, including thesublime Noli me Tangere; a beautifully rendered late landscape, Canal and Boats with aDistant View of Amsterdam; and the superbly charming Studies of Women and Children,which was the last of Rembrandt’s seventeen known drawings with an inscription inhis own hand to reach a public collection.Meticulously researched and written by Robert Fucci, Ph.D., Drawn to Lifeintroduces both scholars and drawings enthusiasts to the depth and beauty of thePeck Collection at the Ackland Art Museum.