Glasgow's Burrell Collection hosts exhibition featuring works from French impressionist Edgar Degas

A new exhibition from a revered artist is to open at Glasgow’s Burrell Collection.

Discovering Degas: Collecting In The Time Of Sir William Burrell opens on Friday and features 23 works from Edgar Degas, a French impressionist artist who lived from 1834 to 1917.

There will be a further 28 paintings on display, as well as sculptures, on loan from 13 UK and European collections.

It is the first major exhibition to be held at The Burrell Collection since it reopened in 2022 following a £68m refurbishment.

Staged by culture and sport charity Glasgow Life, the exhibition will explore the collecting and buying of Degas artworks by Sir William Burrell and his wife, Lady Burrell.

Pippa Stephenson-Sit, curator of European Art at Glasgow Life museums, who co-curated the exhibition, said: “Discovering Degas has been an absolute joy to work on. Degas is one of the finest artists the world has ever seen and one of the founding artists of the Impressionist group.

“He was very fond of Britain and travelled here several times. He cultivated relationships and recognised opportunities for selling his work to British art collectors, who were beginning to develop a taste for modern French art.

“Sir William had a keen eye for his artworks and collected them for about 40 years.

“From modern Parisian life to horse-racing, to ballet scenes, Degas tirelessly tackled a number of fascinating topics in a way that was entirely his own.

“His artworks remain extremely popular today, particularly his ballet scenes, but we hope this exhibition offers a chance to learn something new about an intriguing, immensely talented artist”.

Professor Frances Fowle, senior trustee at the Sir William Burrell Trust, added: “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.

“This exhibition demonstrates the whole range of the artist’s output and creates a context for Burrell’s outstanding collection.”

Visitors will be able to view every Degas work acquired by Burrell, together with two Degas works from the wider Glasgow Museums Collections.

This includes the first Degas painting bought by Burrell which is still in the collection, Woman Looking Through Field Glasses, from around 1869.

The exhibition runs until Monday September 30 and tickets are available at burrellcollection.com.