Edgar Degas / Mary Cassatt
National Gallery of Art Washington,
influence on fellow impressionist >> Mary Cassatt (* 1844 Pittsburgh † 1926 Château de Beaufresne) is widely known, but
her role in shaping his work and introducing him to American audiences is fully
examined for the first time in Degas/Cassatt. On view at the National Gallery of Art,
Washington - the sole venue worldwide - from 11.05.2014 - 05.10.2014, the
exhibition includes some 70 works in a variety of media. Groundbreaking technical
analysis is presented by conservators and scientists who examined key works by
both artists.
"Despite differences of gender and nationality, Degas and Cassatt
forged a deep friendship founded on respect and admiration, and we are
delighted to share the results of this relationship with our visitors. The
Gallery is particularly well suited to the exploration of this subject because
of the exceptional works donated by discerning collectors, such as Paul Mellon,
Chester Dale, and Lessing J. Rosenwald," said Earl A. Powell III,
director, National Gallery of Art, Washington. "A profound debt of
gratitude is owed to our many lenders, both public and private, in the United
States and France."
The Gallery is exceptionally rich in holdings by both artists, with one of
the finest collections of works by Cassatt in existence, totaling 119, and the
third largest collection of works by Degas in the world, totaling 158.
Degas/Cassatt is organized thematically over four galleries
with a focus on the height of Degas and Cassatt's artistic alliance—the late
1870s through the mid-1880s. Included are oil paintings, pastels, and works on
paper (etchings, lithographs, monotypes, and drawings), with several that were
once in the artists' personal collections. Cassatt stated that her first
encounter with Degas's art "changed my life," while Degas, upon
seeing Cassatt's art for the first time, reputedly remarked, "there is
someone who feels as I do."
A focal point of the exhibition is Cassatt's Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878). Degas's participation in this painting
is known through a letter (also in the exhibition) that Cassatt wrote to her
dealer Ambroise Vollard, but the details have remained a mystery. Recent
cleaning and careful analysis of the brushwork, as well as x-radiographs and
infrared images have revealed changes beneath the paint surface, providing
clear evidence of Degas's intervention in Cassatt's picture.
Both artists explored alternate and mixed media,
including distemper, tempera, and metallic paint, during a brief but intensive
period of experimentation from 1878 to1879. A group of these daring and
unconventional works are on view, including Cassatt's Woman Standing Holding a Fan (1878/1879) and Degas's Portrait after a Costume Ball (Portrait of Mme
Dietz-Monnin) (1879), which is
being loaned for the first time in 60 years.
The show presents some of the most audacious and
technically innovative etchings of the artists' careers done in anticipation of
a new impressionist print publication that was never realized, Le Jour et la nuit.
The exhibition includes the most comprehensive group of works depicting
Cassatt at the Louvre, including prints, preparatory drawings, pastels,
paintings, and an original copperplate.
Several important artistic juxtapositions are
revealed throughout the exhibition, including Cassatt'sYoung Woman in Black (Portrait of Madame J) (1883), on view for the first time beside Degas's Fan Mount: Ballet Girls (1879), which appears in the background of her
painting.
Degas owned some 100 works by Cassatt—more than
any other contemporary artist of his generation. Among the works in his
collection at the time of his death was a unique set of 13 impressions of
Cassatt's print The Visitor (ca. 1881). Four of these impressions as well as
the original softground preparatory drawing (also from Degas's personal
collection) are included.
Although their friendship endured until Degas's death in 1917, their
interactions decreased after the eighth and final impressionist exhibition in
1886. A small group of works dating to the 1890s is included in the exhibition
to illustrate how their paths diverged. (Text: National Gallery of Art Washington)