The Department of Prints and Drawings houses a distinguished collection of works on paper ranging in date from the 15th century to the present.

With holdings of 11,500 drawings and 60,000 prints, the collection includes particular strengths in French 19th-century prints and drawings; British, French, and Italian drawings; Old Master prints; extensive 20th-century holdings; and a constantly growing collection of contemporary works on paper.

Because works of art on paper are sensitive to light, they are exhibited on a rotating basis.