|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Aug. 13 - Oct. 9, 1994
Edgar Degas
The many Dimensions of a Master French Impressionist
Edgar Degas: The Many Dimensions of a Master French
Impressionist examined from a different point of view the art of Edgar
Degas, a complex and paradoxical French Impressionist who was generally
thought
of as an oil painter and pastellist.
As the Art Institute's second most attended exhibition with 84,000 visitors
over eight weeks, this exhibition gave Degas' sculptures equal importance
with thematically related two-dimensional works. During his lifetime,
Degas only exhibited one sculpture, the now famous Little Dancer of Fourteen
Years (Salon of 1881). However, Degas made hundreds of wax and clay models
as a way of expressing his own artistic understanding. Highly personal
works that were rarely seen except by a few studio visitors and friends,
these sculptures-74 of which have been posthumously cast in bronze-are
now considered as some of the most important sculptures produced in the
19th century.
Thirty-four oil paintings, pastel and charcoal drawings, prints and monotypes borrowed from 23 American private and public collections complemented the bronzes, illustrating Degas' explorations of favorite themes-the ballet, the female nude and the racetrack. Degas' art, whether in two or three dimensions, captures the essence of its subject, especially in movement. Accessible to both the casual visitor and art scholar, his art continues to interest, intrigue and please art lovers around the world. A 167-page exhibition catalogue is available for purchase at The Museum Store of The Dayton Art Institute
This exhibition was co-organized by The Dayton Art Institute (Dayton, Ohio) and the Center for the Fine Arts (Miami, Florida) with the collaboration of the Mississippi Museum of Art (Jackson, Mississippi). In Dayton, Edgar Degas: The Many Dimensions of a Master French Impressionist was sponsored by National City (Dayton, Ohio) with additional funding from the Reynolds and Reynolds Company (Dayton, Ohio), The Iams Company, the Montgomery County Regional Arts and Cultural District, WDTN-Channel 2, and the Dayton Daily News.