Discovering Degas at the Burrell: where to get tickets

None other than Edgar Degas – or Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas, to give him his full name. Born in Paris in 1834 to a wealthy banker father and Louisiana Creole mother, he abandoned a law degree to follow his passion for painting. In the mid-1870s he joined a gang of then-radical young artists who would form the core of the group known as the impressionists, among them Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Paul Cézanne. For the record, Degas disliked the term impressionist and preferred to call himself a realist, a nod to the work and influence of his artistic mentor Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, who was known for his historical paintings. Always carrying a reputation for intolerance, Degas became explicitly anti-Semitic following the notorious Dreyfus Affair of 1894, a political scandal which split France and resulted in novelist Émile Zola’s famous open letter, J’Accuse …!

What did he paint?

Although he also made sculpture and prints, and was an enthusiastic photographer, Degas is best known for his pastel drawings and his oil paintings – in particular his studies of dancing and dancers, a pre-occupation which kept him indoors when most of his Impressionist colleagues were painting ‘en plein air,’ or outdoors. Among his most famous dance-related works are The Dancing Class from 1871, and his 1879 sculpture Little Dancer Of Fourteen Years, sculpted initially in wax (and wearing real clothes) then later in bronze.

Degas often pictured dancers (Image: free)

What is the exhibition and where is it on?

Titled Discovering Degas, the show is to be held at the Burrell Collection museum in Pollok Park in the south of Glasgow. Now re-opened in ‘reimagined’ form, Discovering Degas will be the Burrell Collection’s first international ticketed exhibition since its six year, £68 million refurbishment.

What is in the show?

Discovering Degas will put on display the entire collection of works by the Frenchman held by Sir William Burrell, for whom the Burrell Collection is named. There are 23 in total, including The Green Ballet Skirt and In The Tuileries Gardens, from 1896 and 1880 respectively. But the show will also exhibit some 50 other works from national and international collections in the UK and beyond. Among them are Dancers On A Stage, loaned from The Courtauld in London, and Figures In A Cafe (L’Absinthe), on loan from Impressionist HQ – the world famous Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

When does it open?

The exhibition opens on Friday May 24 and runs until Monday September 30.

What are they saying?

“Degas was popular with British collectors at the turn of the 20th century and his artworks remain extremely popular with visitors today,” says Pippa Stephenson-Sit, Curator of European Art at Glasgow Life Museums and co-curator of Discovering Degas. “Indeed, we hope a whole new audience will discover Degas through this exhibition. This is also an important opportunity to better understand Degas in his entirety, both as a brilliant artist but also as a man whose opinions and ideas would not go unchallenged today. Above all, though, this exhibition will be a wonderful opportunity to view stunning international works, share the strength of Burrell’s legacy, and provide new ways for visitors to view and engage with our incredible collection.”

Anything else?

Professor Frances Fowle, Senior Trustee of the Sir William Burrell Trust, adds: “This exhibition demonstrates the whole range of the artist’s output and creates a context for Burrell’s outstanding collection. Among those who developed a taste for Degas were other Glasgow shipbuilders like William McInnes, and several women, among them the yachting enthusiast Elizabeth Workman and the musician Rosalind Maitland.”

How can I get tickets?

Tickets are available from the Burrell Collection website. Prices start at £5 and rise to £13.50. Children under 12 are free.