Degas: A New Vision

The effort behind the beauty of exhibitions is endless. Since June, the NGV has been filled with the talented Edgar Degas’ work. The exhibition contains 206 pieces of work drawn from 65 different public and private collections, from 40 cities in 14 countries.

The NGV aims to provide a variety of shows to appeal to the very diverse audiences who attend the gallery. They include a mix of contemporary, historical, individual artist, theme exhibitions and exhibitions purely on different types of media.

Tedd Gott, who has been the curator for the past 15 years at the NGV gave some insight into really how much work goes into planning and presenting shows. A curator’s work is ongoing. Research into each show and piece of work, guided tours, public lectures and writing the labels and didactics of work are just a few of the things a curator does in order to organize an exhibition.

In conjunction with Tedd Gott, recently retired from the Louvre, Henri Loyiette, who is an expert on Degas, came down to Melbourne to install the exhibition.

This is the very first purely Degas exhibition the NGV has held. Having pieces of his work throughout the years in shows such as the mixed French Impressionists exhibition. Gott explained how it takes between 3-7 years to organise and plan an exhibition in full and how it cannot always go as planned. There is the decision on what works to showcase in order to tell the story the exhibition wishes to convey. For Degas’ this deemed difficult as his 3000 works were left to his heirs at the time of his death in 1917. They were dispersed to all ends of the earth.

Some galleries and owners of art will deny access to pieces unless the case and cause is plausible. With Degas’ work, it was scattered in many different countries and much detective work was put into play into finding each work needed. Visiting the lenders and writing loan letters to “put forth the argument as to why they should lend you their work” to provide justification is also a step needed in gaining access to certain pieces.

Each artwork has its own crate designed to travel with most artwork being glazed. Humidity and temperature must be monitored to avoid damage. Sometimes the artwork can be too fragile to travel.  The artwork can also be committed to another exhibition before loan letters have been dispersed or chosen depending on how compelling the argument to borrow the work may be.

Behind the ballerinas, the exhibition showcases Degas’ life and the life of many Parisians in late nineteenth century Paris. The exhibition tells a story through Degas’ work, which to my own surprise is, much more than ballerinas. It is the largest retrospective of Degas put together since 1988. Gott describes the exhibition as a “snapshot into late nineteenth century Paris”, “telling the truth about the ballet” and how the “ballerinas come from the poorest of all Parisians.” It is an exhibition to see and is something for everyone to enjoy. The show conveys the “hard work behind the glamour” just as the NGV showcases every time they bring out a new exhibition.

Degas: A New Vision
National Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Friday June 24 – Sunday September 18
ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/degas