and sketches are in enormous quantity at the Archives of American Art. Many are
considered important documents because they are evidence of the artists' random or concentrated
exercises in graphic representation. To the art historian, sketches and drawings are a valuable
record of working methods or, in some cases, of the conceptual development of a particular painting
or sculpture. They range from mere doodles to signed and dated finished drawings.
Visual Thinking: A Guide to Sketches and Sketchbooks is a summary of approximately 2,800 volumes of sketchbooks and 7,500 loose sketches by over 450 artists in the Archives of American Art. Within the Guide are sketches of almost every medium, depicting a wide range of dates and subjects, from 19th century landscapes of Egypt during the travels of painter Henry Bacon, costume designs from the 1940's for the Sadler's Wells Ballet by printmaker Rockwell Kent, and sketches of pots by ceramist Laura Andreson done ca. 1961.
A companion Curator's Choice website highlighting seventeen fully digitized sketchbooks selected by the Archives' Manuscript Curator Liza Kirwin, adds depth to the Guide by providing information on the artists and their working methods.
Digitization of the sketches and sketchbooks is ongoing, made possible by a generous grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art.