The Salon du Dessin: A Breath of Fresh Air

Last year, A Barn Owl by Nicolas Robert (1614-1685), from the Rosenberg Collection, stared the many visitors to the Palais Brongniart right in the eye. Just as hypnotizing is his Papaver   Somniferum on the poster of the 31st Salon du Dessin, which returns to its traditional dates, March 22 to 27. The work comes from the library of the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, which is teeming with the naturalist engraver’s lifelike vellum prints. His disconcertingly modern line reconciles two seemingly polar opposites: ancient and modern drawings. At the Salon, there is nothing of the kind. While ancient drawings not only remain more popular and have even enjoyed a resurgence of interest from collectors, modern ones are increasingly gaining ground. The shift is not unrelated to the acceptance of the medium as a protean, stand-alone art form, a development that owes much to the Drawing Now fair’s 16 editions and trailblazing venues like the New York Drawing Center, one of the first venues to bring old and contemporary drawings together under one roof. With Switzerland’s Bailly…