The graphic arts or a better understanding the creative process

The museum has a large collection of drawings, mainly preparatory models for works by the École de Nancy, but also architectural documents, posters and prints.

The graphic arts collection is estimated at over 10,000 works. The collection began with drawings by Victor Prouvé and Camille Martin from the Eugène Corbin collection (1935). This collection has grown considerably since the 1980s, with the donation of more than 600 drawings from the Gallé studio by his grandson and other acquisitions. These enrichments reflect the museum's desire to better document the creative process, illustrated by preparatory models for vases, ceramics, textiles, leather objects, furniture, stained glass, etc.

The Gallé workshop's collection confirms the diversity of the research carried out in order to renew the decoration and forms of its ceramics and glassware. The preparatory models are drawn in pencil, watercolour or gouache and may include details, decorative motifs or finished compositions.

The second major collection is Victor Prouvé’s, comprising around 2000 drawings. This collection is also highly varied, with large preparatory drawings for wall decorations, sketches for collaborations with Émile Gallé and models for bindings, textiles or other decorative objects.

The musée de l'École de Nancy also holds a collection of drawings by Camille Martin, in particular for bookbinding, a set of cartoons for stained-glass windows by Jacques Gruber and watercolours by Henri Bergé from the Encyclopédie florale produced for the Daum factory. A collection of works by the architects of the École de Nancy has also been assembled focusing on Émile André, as well as Nancy buildings such as the Maison Paul Luc (now demolished). Finally, the collections contain a set of advertising cards and documents as well as posters designed by Victor Prouvé, Jacques Gruber, Camille Martin, all of which bear witness to the dynamism of Nancy's printing industry at the time.

For conservation reasons, these drawings are not on permanent display, but are regularly shown at exhibitions.