Trois Crayons at No.9 Cork Street
Trois Crayons shows seven centuries of drawings in Frieze’s Mayfair space, with an accompanying talks programme
Trois Crayons shows seven centuries of drawings in Frieze’s Mayfair space, with an accompanying talks programme
‘Tracing Time’ | 26 June – 5 July 2025
In ‘Tracing Time’, drawings specialist Trois Crayons presents the finest works on paper from more than 35 renowned galleries and dealers. Spanning the 15th century to the present day, this curated selection of 250 drawings includes highlight works by Jean Cocteau, Françoise Gilot, Pablo Picasso, Hans Rottenhammer, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, and J.M.W. Turner.
Celebrating their 150th anniversary, Wildenstein & Co. present a study for Leda and the Swan by Edmé Bouchardon and a cubist watercolour by Georges Braque. John Swarbrooke Fine Art brings a drawing by Gustav Klimt relating to his 1903 painting Die Hoffnung (Hope I), while Day & Faber present a study of animals from the North Italian school that has survived more than 500 years.
The exhibition is accompanied by a programme of talks with artists, curators and specialists in works on paper.
Talks at No.9 Cork Street
‘Timeless Materials: A Conversation on Drawing with Contemporary Artists’ | Friday 27 June, 4pm
Joana Galego, Nicholas C Williams, and Pippa Young reflect on their use of traditional drawing materials and techniques in a discussion moderated by Annette Wickham (former works on paper curator at the Royal Academy of Arts).
This event is organized by Trois Crayons in partnership with The Drawing Foundation.
‘Women Artists in Focus: Curating New Narratives’ | Saturday 28 June, 2pm
Jennifer Higgie (released ‘The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art & the Spirit World’ in 2023), Amy Lim (research curator for the 2024 exhibition ‘Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920’ at Tate Britain) and Rachel Sloan (associate curator of works on paper at the Courtauld Gallery and currently developing an exhibition on British women artists and landscape, opening in 2026) explore the complexities, discoveries and rewards of charting overlooked art historical territory.
‘The Drawings of John Constable’ | Monday 30 June, 4pm
Drawing was central to John Constable’s working life. Detailed sketches from nature – sometimes on a tiny scale – underpinned his exhibition works. Constable’s most private and soul-searching works are not in oils but in ink and graphite. In this talk, Dr Susan Owens (former curator of paintings at the V&A) explores the wide range of Constable’s drawing practice, from his early Gainsborough-influenced views of East Bergholt lanes to the visionary ink blots of his later years.
‘Piccadilly Jim: The Discovery of James Gibbs’s Designs for the Façade of Burlington House | Tuesday 1 July, 4pm
William Aslet (Scott Opler Fellow at Worcester College, University of Oxford) reassesses James Gibbs’s unexecuted designs for the façade of Burlington House in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
This event is organized by Trois Crayons in partnership with The Burlington Magazine.
‘New Ways of Looking at Italian Renaissance Drawings’ | Wednesday 2 July, 4pm
How can we find fresh perspectives on Italian renaissance drawings? This panel looks at how traditional expertise and cutting-edge technology can combine to enrich our understanding of old master drawings. Rachel Hapoienu and Tom Nevile present innovative emerging research tools, such as the VSC scanner and the Trois Crayons Museum Forum, while Martin Clayton and Catherine Whistler discuss recent and ongoing research projects in the field of Italian drawings. The panel is hosted by Luca Baroni.
This event is organized by Trois Crayons in partnership with L’IDEA.
‘The Intimate Collector: Why Drawings Thrive in the Digital Age’ | Thursday 3 July, 4pm
A discussion between Bethany Woolfall (vice president of customers at Arcarta), Alesa Boyle (co-founder of Trois Crayons and gallery director at Stephen Ongpin Fine Art), Gregory Rubinstein (senior director at Sotheby’s and head of the old master drawings department worldwide) and Lorna Tiller (senior gallery partnerships manager, Artsy).
This event is organized by Trois Crayons in partnership with Arcarta.
‘Between Drawings and Ceramics’ | Friday 4 July, 4pm
Trois Crayons launches a new collaboration with Maak, an auction house dedicated to contemporary ceramics and craft, with a panel discussion that brings together the worlds of drawings and ceramics and explores how these two mediums are collected, appreciated and understood.
This event is organized by Trois Crayons in partnership with Maak.
‘The Drawings of Jean-Antoine Watteau’ | Saturday 5 July, 2pm
Jean-Antoine Watteau has been the subject of two major exhibitions this year: one at the Château de Chantilly and another at the British Museum. In this panel, Axel Moulinie (co-curator of ‘The Worlds of Watteau’ at Château de Chantilly) and Grant Lewis (curator of ‘Colour and Line: Watteau Drawings’ at the British Museum) reflect on their distinct curatorial approaches to the 18th-century master. Jennifer Tonkovich (associate editor at Master Drawings and Eugene and Clare Thaw curator of drawings and prints at the Morgan Library & Museum) moderates the discussion.
This event is organized by Trois Crayons in partnership with Master Drawings.
Further Information
Frieze No.9 Cork Street is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm.
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Main Image: Exhibition installation image of 500 Years of Drawing at Frieze No.9 Cork Street, 2024. Courtesy of Trois Crayons.
