Accompanying an exhibition that examines the figure drawings of the young Albrecht Dürer, this catalogue focuses on his formative years from around 1490, when he completed his artistic training, to 1496, when he established himself permanently as a master in Nuremberg in southern Germany. This period included the so-called Wanderjahre or ´journeyman years´, during which the artist travelled widely and was exposed to a range of new experiences. His drawings demonstrate the significance of these early influences in shaping his ambitious artistic personality.

Dürer initially trained with his father as a goldsmith and at a young age proved to be an exceptional draughtsman. Settling on a change of career, he subsequently served for three years as an apprentice to the successful Nuremberg painter Michael Wolgemut. Dürer later wrote: "When I had finished this service, my father sent me off, and I stayed away for four years". Dürer was in his early twenties, and his travel years were to be vital for his intellectual and artistic development. His exact itinerary remains uncertain but he is known to have visited Basel and Strasburg as well as Colmar, where he had hoped to meet the great printmaker Martin Schongauer. Upon his return to Nuremberg he married Agnes Frey, whose celebrated portrait by Dürer, inscribed Mein Agnes (My Agnes) is one of the highlights of the exhibition. A second trip towards northern Italy followed in around 149499. Dürers interest in Italian art and classical subject matter complemented his engagement with his own Northern artistic traditions and workshop practices.