Degas exhibition for Glasgow Burrell Collection

The Burrell Collection has announced its first ticketed exhibition since it reopened after a major refurbishment.

It will showcase the work of celebrated French artist Edgar Degas.

Sir William Burrell’s 23-piece Degas collection will be open to the public at the revamped Glasgow museum from 24 May.

It will also display 50 paintings, works on paper and sculptures on loan from collections around the world.

The popular visitor attraction in Pollok Country Park houses the 9,000-object collection of Sir William and Constance Burrell.

It includes exhibits from Europe and Asia and was donated to Glasgow by Sir William in 1944.

The Burrell reopened in 2022 after a £68.25m refurbishment which took five years to complete.

Almost 70% of the Degas works for the new exhibition are coming on loan from collections including The Courtauld in London, the National Museum Cardiff and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

Burrell was among the earliest Scottish collectors to buy works by Degas.

And over a 40-year period, he bought over 20 artworks, more than any other UK collector.

Degas, who was born in Paris in 1834, often painted portraits and historical scenes in his first independent works.

In the early 1860s, he started to paint modern life scenes, from horse races to theatre and ballet, which he is best known for.

By the late 1880s he was recognised as a major figure in the Parisian art world.

Degas stopped creating art after 1912, due to his failing eyesight, and he died in 1917.

Since reopening the Burrell Collection has won awards including being named the 2023 Art Fund Museum of the Year.

Pippa Stephenson-Sit, curator of European art at Glasgow Life Museums, said: "The exhibition will offer a unique introduction and fresh perspectives on a hugely popular art movement.

“Degas was popular with British collectors at the turn of the twentieth century, who helped 'discover' his appeal and innovation and his artworks remain extremely popular with visitors today."

Frances Fowle, senior trustee of the Burrell Collection, is collaborating with Glasgow Life Museums to curate the exhibition.

Prof Fowle, of the University of Edinburgh, said: “Degas’ work appealed to collectors like Sir William Burrell due to his skilful drawing, as well as his interest in portraying figures in movement.

"He was extraordinarily modern in his approach, working in a variety of media, adopting unexpected viewpoints and experimenting with bold colours and unusual light effects."

Loans are supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund, created by the Garfield Weston Foundation and Art Fund.

Discovering Degas: Collecting in the Age of William Burrell opens on Friday 24 May and runs until Monday 30 September.