For a long time, drawing was only considered as the preparation of a bigger, more beautiful, more accomplished work. However, 45 years ago, Véronique and Louis-Antoine Prat made it the subject of their remarkable collection. Three centuries of master drawings together! Exhibited many times in museums, these masterpieces are presented today at the Petit Palais. From Callot to Seurat, the exhibition unfolds the chronological thread of this panorama of French drawing. The influence of Italy in François Stella (the oldest in the collection), Poussin or Vouet; the preparation of the Versailles decors by Le Brun and Coypel; the rocaille by Watteau, the drawing on motif by Greuze or the fantasy by Fragonard in the 18th century; with Bouchardon, Challe or Petitot, the sculpted projects are not left out. Gros, Géricault and ensembles by Ingres or Delacroix offer a wealth of aesthetic trends from the early 19th century, before the realism of Corot or Courbet became established. Finally, Toulouse-Lautrec and Cézanne sketched modernity. This exhibition pays tribute both to the glory of French drawing and to the crucial role played by collectors in the rediscovery of forgotten masterpieces.