Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth at Millennium Gallery, Sheffield

Sara Jaspan, Exhibitions Editor
Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth at Millennium Gallery, Sheffield
Federico Zuccaro, Head and shoulders of a bearded man wearing a cap, possibly a self-portrait, 16th–17th Century © The Devonshire Collections, Reproduced by kind permission of Chatsworth Settlement Trustees

Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth at Millennium Gallery, City Centre 12 September — 1 November 2020 Entrance is free — Visit now

Millennium Gallery in Sheffield reopens this September with a major exhibition that takes us back to one of the most primary forms of art: drawing, offering a celebration of the elegance and wonder that Renaissance and Baroque artists such as Carpaccio, Poussin, Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck achieved with the simplest of tools. Lines of Beauty has been developed in partnership with Chatsworth House and features over 50 highlights from The Devonshire Collection of Old Master Drawings – classed as one of the finest private drawing collections in the world. Many of the works have rarely been shown outside of Chatsworth House (where the collection is held) due to their delicate nature, making the Sheffield presentation the largest display of the drawings in more than 20 years.

Together, the works selected for Lines of Beauty span the genres of portraiture, landscape, classical and religious narrative. A pastoral scene depicting the classical story and art historical trope of Diana and Callisto by the French artist Claude Lorrain, and a warmly hued, possible self-portrait by the Italian Mannerist artist Federico Zuccari wearing a ruffled cap, are among the pieces named in advance.

The works contained within the Master Drawings collection were amassed by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Dukes of Devonshire during the 17th and 18th centuries and were originally only intended to be enjoyed by the family and members of the ruling elite. Though the collection remains privately owned, today, public exhibitions of this kind allow a chance for everyone to view and enjoy the treasures that it holds.

Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth at Millennium Gallery, City Centre 12 September — 1 November 2020 Entrance is free Visit now

Where to go near Lines of Beauty: Master Drawings from Chatsworth at Millennium Gallery, Sheffield

Crucible Theatre Sheffield
Sheffield
Theatre
The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

The world-famous Crucible offers a huge variety of home-grown and touring productions, as well as a thriving programme of participatory events and activities.

Sheffield
Shop
Juno Books

Friendly local queer and intersectional feminist bookshop in Sheffield. Visit for interesting fiction and non fiction books.

Graves Gallery
City Centre
Gallery
Graves Gallery

Graves Gallery is home to Sheffield’s visual art collection, with a permanent collection and temporary exhibitions arranged across eight galleries.

The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
City Centre
Theatre
The Lyceum Theatre

Built to a traditional proscenium arch design, Sheffield’s Lyceum is the only surviving theatre outside of London designed by architect W.G.R. Sprague.

Music venue stock image.
Sheffield
Event venue
Hope Works

An old WW1 gun-barrel-factory reimagined and repurposed as a hub of Sheffield’s creativity, with music and art events regularly put on.

Thrifty Store, Sheffield.
Sheffield
Shop
Thrifty Store

Thrifty Store, Sheffield is an up-to-date, sleek space, popular with young crowds for its affordable price points and quirky, unusual one-off pieces.

Sheffield
Restaurant
Oisoi

A high-quality pan-Asian restaurant in Sheffield’s city centre, Oisoi is worth a visit to the Steel City right now.

What's on: Exhibitions

Wolf in Yellowstone
Until
ExhibitionsManchester
Wild at Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum explores the concept of ‘wild’ nature as a means of tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis in a new exhibition.

free entry

Culture Guides

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.