Nigel Ip

Tracing Time is the second annual selling exhibition organised by the online drawings hub Trois Crayons. Presenting over 250 drawings from 35 international exhibitors – much larger than last year – it is frequently described as a fair with no booths and no dealers. It’s a format I like a lot, mainly because it feels less intimidating, reminding me of the carefree experience of curated open calls like the Summer Exhibition at the nearby Royal Academy of Arts or Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair.

The selection this year remains just as diverse, going from a 15th-century Northern Italian sheet of animal studies from a model book to contemporary drawings by Alexander Klingspor and Christelle Téa. Dispersed across two of the larger rooms are several ceramics presented by the auction house and consultancy Maak, highlighting the role of cross-category collectors in the drawings space.

The hang no longer follows the chronological approach from last year. Instead, curatorial choices are made on aesthetic grounds that give each piece an opportunity to be discovered organically. These have led to some rather playful salon hangs, such as one upstairs devoted exclusively to small drawings, where a Parmigianino sits centrally in a diagonal bookended by a pair of head studies on blue paper. Speaking of blue paper, Francisco Bayeu’s preaching Saint Eulogius is exquisite.

This exhibition clearly had me in mind. How else could I explain the prevalence of my favourite squared-for-transfer drawings by Pompeo Batoni, François Gérard (called Baron Gérard), Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Domenico Piola, and Robert Poughéon? Or the three-tiered display of fan designs – one of my favourite compositional formats – by Jean-Louis Hamon, René Bodier, and Louis Gillot.

In my opinion, some of the best drawings here are from the 19th century. Daniel Maclise’s study of Tybalt waiting for his chance to strike Romeo down with a dagger is a masterclass in visual storytelling using light and shadow. A large profile drawing of a woman from Lapad by Emilie Mediz-Pelikan attracted me for its sensitivity and careful rendering, while John Sell Cotman’s colourful depiction of Cader Idris is so vibrant it may as well have just come from his studio. As a bonus, don’t miss Thomas Rowlandson’s tondo of a cockfighting scene and Edward Reginald Frampton’s St Cecilia.

Rarely seen in other exhibitions, there is also a small sample of strikingly good drawings featuring Black models: a reclining Malgache with a child (by Andre Maire) and a seated female nude (by Jacques Majorelle).

This is a marvellous exhibition that excites the eyes and tempts the curious. Walking through it is like digging through a treasure trove. There are beautiful objects all around, but I can only take home a handful of hidden gems.

Tracing Time (26 June – 5 July 2025) is at Frieze, No. 9 Cork Street, London, https://www.troiscrayons.art/