Degas In Bronze At Meijer

Gardens & Sculpture Park

The Complete Sculptures On View Through August 31

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Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917), “Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen,” conceived around 1878–1881, bronze cast in 1920s and after from a mixed media sculpture. Collections of MASP, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, Assis Chateaubriand, São Paulo, Brazil. ©2008 International Arts.  —Pierre-Alain Ferrazzini photo

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FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS & SCULPTURE PARK ‘DEGAS IN BRONZE’ w/1 cut

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GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is hosting the internationally acclaimed exhibition “Degas in Bronze: The Complete Sculptures” through August 31.

“Degas in Bronze” presents an opportunity to see Degas’ work in sculpture, a rare opportunity to view the complete set of acclaimed A.A. Hebrard bronze castings — 73 sculptures in total — one of only four complete sets in the world.

The French painter and sculptor Edgar Degas (1834–1917) spent his entire life investigating the figure in motion through countless studies of ballerinas, racehorses and bathers. Though he worked relentlessly on small composite sculptures privately, he only exhibited one completed sculpture during his lifetime, the centerpiece of the exhibition, “Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen.” Featured are three-dimensional explorations of the very themes for which Degas is most well-known: dancers, bathers, horses and studies of the female figure.

It was not until after the artist’s death in 1917 that the extent of his work in sculpture was made known when the contents of his studio were inventoried. More than 150 works in clay and wax were discovered, but their state of preservation and future were unresolved. In the following year, Degas’ heirs decided to authorize a series edition of bronze casts to be made from 73 of the fragile wax and clay figures by master foundryman Albino Palazzolo at the Paris foundry A.A. Hebrard et Cie.

This exhibition explores one of the most fascinating aspects of the work of Degas, whose innovative compositions, skillful drawing and perceptive analysis of movement made him one of the late Nineteenth Century masters of modern art. During this exhibition, the bronzes are augmented by a selection of Degas prints and drawings to provide visitors with a broader view of the artist’s creative genius for representing the figure in motion.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is at 1000 East Beltline Avenue. For information, 616-957-1580 or www.meijergardens.org.