So, to capitalise on the drawing afficionados in town, auctioneers and dealers unite under the banner of Dessin Au Quartier Art Drouot (Drawing in the Drouot Quarter) to put on a bit of a show. It is an opportunity to root around the little galleries in the streets, courtyards and famous passages or quaint covered arcades that pepper this area on a parcours or trail and take in auction viewings and exhibitions at the same time.
Sixteen seems to be the key statistic for this event. This will be QAD’s 16th edition and features 16 galleries (plus auction firms). The event opens on March 16, just before the start of the main drawings fairs, with a late-night opening in the middle of precedings on March 23, and runs until March 31.
Drouot is mounting two exhibitions during this period. One is its usual preview of works from the forthcoming drawings auctions, some of which are pictured on pages 56-57. The other, titled XXS, is devoted to small-scale drawings.
For her ninth presentation for QAD, Pecheur will be showing Flemish, Dutch and German works from the 16th and 17th centuries and French 18th and 19th century drawings.
The French works include this 9 x 6½in (23 x 17cm) red chalk and stump self-portrait by the young Parisian artist Pierre Alexandre Wille, aged 21. The drawing is signed, dated 1769 and inscribed filius in Latin to distinguish him from his father Jean Georges. It is priced at €12,000.
