COPENHAGEN.- On 8 May, the Glyptotek opens a new exhibition centred on Edgar Degas’ enigmatic painting Dancers Practising in the Foyer and the research that has recently led to a proposed revised dating of the work. Degas’ Obsession delves into this single painting, exploring its history and its significance in understanding Degas’ artistic practice.
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A new understanding about Degas' work and process through just one painting Ballet scenes were a central theme in Edgar Degas’ career, yet Dancers Practising in the Foyer has long been difficult to place in relation to his other ballet paintings. The painting is immediately puzzling—seemingly not finished, with very unevenly applied paint layers, drastically different tones and a dominant shadow from a partially overpainted figure. These unexplained visual mysteries sparked what became an an extensive research project led by art historian Dr. Line Clausen Pedersen, in a collaboration between the Glyptotek and the Getty in Los Angeles.
The new technical analyses suggest that Degas began the painting much earlier than previously believed, working on it over the course of nearly 30 years. The research also reveals a previously unknown, overpainted dancer. Cross-sections of the paint layers show that the work contains up to 14 layers, as Degas repeatedly reworked, scraped into the surface, painted over figures and added new ones. Dancers Practising in the Foyer is thus both one of the earliest and one of the final examples of his ballet paintings, making it a unique work within his oeuvre.
Inside the researchers’ laboratory
The exhibition Degas’ Obsession invites visitors behind the scenes of scientific research and technical art history. At its centre stands a single painting, removed from its frame and displayed in the middle of the room, allowing it to be examined from all angles. Through the exhibition’s five rooms, visitors are initiated into the painting’s mysteries as they follow the researchers’ discoveries. Films, texts and technical analyses uncover hidden aspects of the painting, normally invisible to the naked eye.
‘This exhibition offers our visitors the chance to experience the process behind a work of art. It’s an invitation to go beneath the surface of a painting, to follow the researchers’ questions and discoveries,’ says Christine Horwitz Tommerup, Curator of French and Danish Art at the Glyptotek.
The Glyptotek’s focus on French art
Degas’ Obsession forms part of the Glyptotek’s strategic focus on its own collection of French painting and sculpture.
‘The Glyptotek holds an exceptional collection of French works from an era that proved pivotal to modern European art and cultural history. Since its foundation, the museum’s emphasis on French art has established it as a key institution in the Nordic region for presenting French art and culture. Our collection contains countless fascinating stories, which we continue to explore through research. With this exhibition, it is the research itself that becomes the focus,’ says Gertrud Hvidberg-Hansen, Director of the Glyptotek.
On the same day as the Degas exhibition, the Glyptotek also unveils Gauguin & Kihara – First Impressions, a new exhibition spanning time, cultures and oceanic distances to bring together two vastly different yet interconnected artists in the Glyptotek’s collection: the French artist Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) and the contemporary Japanese-Sāmoan artist Yuki Kihara (b. 1975), whose work First Impressions: Paul Gauguin has recently been acquired for the museum’s collection.
The double exhibition opening will be celebrated with the event Slow – An Evening of Obsession, featuring an introduction by the French Ambassador, followed by talks, discussions, music, creative workshops and culinary experiences, making the evening a sensory journey into the world of art and its underlying stories. A rich programme of events will accompany both exhibitions throughout the year.
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