The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City has announced a gift from the estate of artist Roy Lichtenstein, including twenty-one of his sketchbooks, two of his early drawings, and several original drawings by artists who were members of his circle.

The gift, which was made by Lichtenstein's widow, Dorothy, positions the museum to become a significant center for the study of the late artist's work. The sketchbooks alone include numerous studies and are important source materials on Lichtenstein's working method and subject matter during the various phases of his career. The drawings, which include works by Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Brice Marden, and Robert Rauschenberg, contribute significantly to the Morgan's growing collection of modern works on paper while also highlighting Lichtenstein's close involvement with some of the important artists of his day.

In addition to the sketchbooks, the Morgan also will receive, on long-term loan, eleven of the artist's remaining sketchbooks, which are now held by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. The drawings and a selection of sketchbooks will be included in a February 2015 exhibition celebrating ten years of acquisitions of critically important modern and contemporary drawings by the Morgan.

"The significance of this gift to the Morgan cannot be overstated," said William M. Griswold, the museum's director. "Roy Lichtenstein is one of the true masters of twentieth-century art. Our recent exhibition of his drawings shed new light on his extraordinary career, and the sketchbooks that we are receiving provide rare and valuable insight into his ideas, practices, subjects, and interests. They also continue a notable collecting tradition at the Morgan, which holds numerous artists' sketchbooks dating back to the early Renaissance."