Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Wayne Thiebaud, Draftsman

May 18 through September 23, 2018

Best known for his luscious paintings of pies and ice-cream cones, California artist Wayne Thiebaud (born 1920) has been an avid and prolific draftsman since he began his career as an illustrator and cartoonist. Featuring subjects that range from deli counters and isolated figures to dramatic views of San Francisco’s plunging streets, Thiebaud’s drawings invariably endow the most banal, everyday scenes with a sense of poetry and nostalgia. The show is the first to explore the full range of the artist's works on paper, from quick sketches to pastels, watercolors, and charcoal drawings.

Wayne Thiebaud, Draftsman is made possible with lead funding from Acquavella Galleries, generous support from Gail A. Gilbert, Allan Stone Projects, and Agnes Gund, and assistance from The Meckler Foundation, the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, Nancy Schwartz, and the Charles E. Pierce, Jr. Fund for Exhibitions.

Nine Jelly Apples, 1964, watercolor and graphite. Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of George Hopper Fitch, B.A. 1932. Photography by Tony De Camillo, © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Selected Images

New York City Winter, 1956, brush and ink and watercolor. From the artist’s studio. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Shelf of Pies, 1960, brush and ink, watercolor, and charcoal. Private collection. Photography courtesy of The Morgan Library & Museum. Photography by Graham S. Haber 2017. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Candy Sticks, 1964, watercolor and graphite. Yale University Art Gallery, Bequest of Susan Morse Hilles. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Hamburgers, 1964, brush and ink. Allan Stone Collection, courtesy Allan Stone Projects, NY. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Ice Cream Cone, 1964, graphite. Collection of Gretchen and John Berggruen, San Francisco. Photography courtesy of The Morgan Library & Museum. Photography by Graham S. Haber 2017. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Nine Jelly Apples, 1964, watercolor and graphite. Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of George Hopper Fitch, B.A. 1932. Photography by Tony De Camillo. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Cakes No. 1, 1967, pastel and graphite. Private collection, courtesy of Guggenheim, Asher Associates. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Dog, 1967, graphite. Private collection. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Ridge with Clouds, 1967–68 (No. 30), pastel on board. Allan Stone Collection, courtesy Allan Stone Projects, NY. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Self Portrait, ca. 1970, graphite. From the artist’s studio. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Toys, 1971, charcoal. From the artist’s studio. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Page of Sketches with Ties, 1960s–70s, pen and ink and pastel. From the artist’s studio. © Wayne Thiebaud/ Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Candy Ball Machine, 1977, gouache and pastel. Collection of Gretchen and John Berggruen, San Francisco. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Diagonal City, 1978, graphite. Collection of Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson. © Wayne Thiebaud/ Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Page of Sketches with Candied Apples and Watermelon Slices, 1980s, graphite. From the artist’s studio. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Three Roads, 1983, charcoal. Private collection. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Page of Sketches with Movie Billboard, ca. 1990s, pen and ink. From the artist’s studio. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Study for Brown River, 2002, charcoal. From the artist’s studio. © Wayne Thiebaud/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY