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The graphic arts collection contains almost 10,000 works. At its constitution in 1822, it included major pieces by Vouet, Vivien and Watteau. Reinforcing this original nucleus, the acquisitions of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries brought more recent works, including a superb ensemble by Géricault. The five thousand drawings in the Baderou donation (1975), however, gave the collection a new status, enabling the constitution of significant groups of Italian and Dutch drawings. 20th century art is also now represented, considerably enhanced by the Blaise Alexandre donation (2001), which brought Rouen a unique ensemble of Modigliani drawings.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COLLECTION

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Drawings provide the main focus of the graphic arts collection. It covers a period from the 16th to the 20th centuries, and French drawing plays a pre-eminent role. With only a few hundred prints, this medium holds a marginal position, despite an important collection of works associated with Géricault. As with the museum's collection of paintings, French art of the 17th century is a strong theme. Among the one hundred and thirty drawings bought from the painter Gabriel Lemonnier in 1822, and from his son Hippolyte in 1868, are some masterpieces by Vouet. The bequest from Gaston Le Breton (1905), was later joined by some extremely rare works by Saint-Igny and some important pieces by Jouvenet. The extraordinary donation by Henri and Suzanne Baderou in 1975, fruit of an exceptional friendship between a Parisian collector and a major provincial institution, further strengthened this part of the collection. It brought some very important works by La Hyre, Brébiette and Vouet. The donation also shed new light on the work of a multitude of hitherto neglected draughtsmen, such as Brandin or Plattemontagne. Though not as dense, the collection of 18th century drawings is notable for its variety and originality. Based around a number of treasures from the Lemonnier collection, including several Watteau studies, it contains a fine group of views of Italy collected by the architect George Chédanne, featuring the work of Hubert Robert. The collection also contains a number of drawings by artists from Normandy, such as Restout or Hoüel, brought by the Le Breton bequest. The Baderou donation brought a number of remarkable pieces, from François Lemoine to Gabriel de Saint-Aubin.
The need to build a coherent collection of 19th century drawings came very late and for some time was marked by regionalist influences. It is precisely this local patriotism, however, which from 1880 onwards motivated the constitution of an exceptional collection based around the figure of Géricault. With some thirty confirmed drawings, including an unparalleled group of studies for The Raft of "The Medusa", Rouen became a major center for this artist. From David to Sisley, via Delacroix, Ingres and Gustave Moreau, the collection is rich in important pieces. Another particularity lies in the many ensembles by some of the major figures of the Academy tradition, with dozens, even hundreds of pieces by each one. This is the case for Henri Lehmann, Léon Bénouville and Puvis de Chavannes. The remarkable diversity of this section of the collection is due in part to the boundless curiosity of Henri Baderou. The collection had been almost exclusively focused on French drawing, but he brought it important groups of Italian, Dutch, German and Spanish drawings, from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The 20th century is represented by some isolated ensembles, though the collection does contain some fine pieces by Picasso, La Frenaye, Corneille and Dubuffet. The exceptional donation from Blaise Alexandre in 2001, which throws a quite unique light on Modigliani's early career, considerably increased the role of 20th century art in the collection.