WHAT: “Degas and the Nude”

WHEN: Through February 5, 2012, Sat-Tue 10AM-4:45PM, Wed-Fri 10AM-9:45PM

WHERE: MFA Boston, Avenue of the Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston

WHY THIS SHOW MATTERS: You won’t find too many star-studded exhibitions like this one. Work by a variety of masters such as Paul Gauguin, Auguste Rodin, and Eugene Delacroix will be a draw, framed as direct influences on the great Impressionist. But the centerpiece is Degas, whose nudes offer the fullest expression of the fascination with human form. Degas's nudes demonstrate his meticulous study of anatomy and movement, and his attention to the grace and elegance of the body.

This exhibition ranges from paintings, pastels, drawings, monotypes, etchings, lithographs, and sculptures, and from his early years of paintings brothels and bathers in the 1870s and 1880s to nudes from the end of his career. Presented in partnership by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the Musee d’Orsay Paris, this is a comprehensive look at one of Degas's interests over half a century. Assembled from the collections of 50 lenders, with a total of 160 works (140 by Degas), the show presents many works that have never been viewed publicly in the United States. 

While known for his ballet dancers, Degas also painted historical tableauxs, portraits, landscapes, and urban leisure scenes. A combination work of both landscape and figure, the “Scene of War in the Middle Ages” (1863-65) was the first work exhibited by Degas at the official Salon in 1865. It will be exhibited along with numerous studies. A masterwork by Delacroix, “The Death of Sardanapalus” (1844) accompanies these pieces as an example of influential painting. In both, the nude figure plays an integral role in the narrative and composition of the epic scenes. Another special highlight of the exhibition is the reunion of several black-and-white monotypes with their corresponding pastel “twins,” presented together for the first time to the public.

Click here to see a slide show of images from "Degas and the Nude."