The Drawings in the Jacques and Colette Ulmann Collection

With drawing, there is no need for sophisticated tools, just paper, pencil, pen and brush. But the possibilities for expression are endless, and vary according to the artist, the place and the time. While the 18th century is the collectors' favorite period for drawings, at least in France, works by the Dutch and Flemish schools of the 17th century were particularly sought after by Jacques (1917-2011) and Colette Ulmann (1920-2021). Anne-Lise Ulmann, their youngest daughter, recalls distant memories of vacations during which her parents would readily make a detour to visit a dealer, even if it meant spending several days there. Old Masters paintings were quickly followed by drawings the couple would buy when they fell in love with them. This passion was clearly "like their own child in their married life", says Anne-Lise Ulmann, and one they nurtured in parallel to their careers as doctors. "My father passed his last years focused on this, spending…