The Drawing Center is New York’s museum for drawing, unique in its mission to explore the medium as primary, dynamic, and relevant to contemporary culture, the future of art, and creative thought. The Drawing Center advances this mission through exhibitions, publications, and educational programs that are both multidisciplinary and broadly historical, positioning drawing at the center of artistic advancement and cultural dialogue.

Expressing the universality of drawing, The Drawing Center presents extraordinary works on paper from a wide range of traditions. Exhibitions have featured drawings by tattoo artists, chefs, novelists, and prisoners alongside visual artists, as well as significant international collections of works on paper. This expansive vision—combined with the scholarly rigor and exhibition standards of much larger museums—makes The Drawing Center a singular institution in New York City and internationally.

Founded in SoHo in 1977 and first housed in a ground-floor warehouse at 137 Greene Street, The Drawing Center moved to its current home at 35 Wooster Street in 1987. After nearly fifty years, it continues to serve as a beloved neighborhood institution and a global leader in the study and celebration of drawing.