#LondonPeachy #CulturedPeachy @NationalGallery THE NATIONAL GALLERY MASTERPIECE TOUR: Degas’s Hélène Rouart in her Father's Study
THE NATIONAL GALLERY MASTERPIECE TOUR:
Degas’s
Hélène Rouart in her Father's Study
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas’s Hélène Rouart in her Father's Study (about 1886) from the National Gallery’s Collection, is travelling the UK in 2021 and 2022.
The annual National Gallery Masterpiece Tour, generously supported by Christie’s, offers three cultural venues outside London the opportunity to display a major work from our collection.
The three venues for the National Gallery Masterpiece Tour are: Gallery Oldham (Greater Manchester), Glan-yr-afon/The Riverside (Pembrokeshire, Wales), and Kirkby Gallery (Merseyside).
Gallery Oldham
18 September 2021 – 8 January 2022
The title of Degas’s Hélène Rouart in her Father’s Study suggests that it is a portrait of a young woman. When one looks more closely, however, the stories the painting tells are all about Hélène’s father, Henri Rouart. The exhibition at Gallery Oldham will ask: Is this really a portrait of Hélène, or of her father?
This is the starting point for Gallery Oldham to explore the ways in which women are represented within its collections. Gallery Oldham holds many portraits in which the woman is not named. Sometimes she is described as ‘wife’ or ‘daughter’, sometimes the title completely ignores the fact there is a woman in the portrait at all. This exciting National Gallery partnership will offer an opportunity to try and uncover the identities of some of these sitters, and to find out more about those who we know so little.
Councillor Shaid Mushtaq, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: ‘We feel privileged that the National Gallery has chosen Oldham to display this famous painting. We pride ourselves in displaying the best art from the best artists around the world, for residents and visitors to enjoy. The artwork will be a popular one and I encourage visitors to come and see this ‘masterpiece’, find out more about the existing work in Gallery Oldham and discover more about the famous women in the gallery’s collections. This painting is another great addition to an ever-growing programme of cultural activities in Oldham and I’ll certainly be making a trip to the gallery to view it.”
The Riverside/Glan-yr-afon, Haverfordwest, Wales
14 May – 3 September 2022
At Glan-yr-afon/The Riverside, Degas’s Hélène Rouart in her Father’s Study will form the centrepiece in an exhibition drawn from the National Welsh Portrait Collection at The National Library of Wales. The exhibition will contextualise the painting through an exploration of the female form in art and analyse the theory of the male gaze in portraits through the eyes of both female and male artists such as Seren Morgan Jones and Sir Kyffin Williams.
Mike Cavanagh, Head of Cultural, Leisure, Tourism and Registration Services for Pembrokeshire County Council said: ‘We are delighted to have the opportunity to be part of the Masterpiece Tour during 2022; our fourth year of opening. The arrival of the Degas will have a huge impact on the community and the county’s many visitors, and will inspire, illuminate and raise ambition within the county.’
Kirkby Gallery
10 October – 17 December 2022
Concluding the tour will be Kirkby Gallery, which will present this major artwork by Degas at centre stage. This will be a key part of Knowsley’s year‐long celebrations as the Liverpool City Region’s Borough of Culture in 2022.
Providing a fitting and historical context, the work, will be shown alongside Making an Impression: Prints by Manet, Pissarro and their Contemporaries; a touring exhibition on loan from the Ashmolean Museum. While the wider exhibition explores Impressionism through printmaking, depicting characteristic subjects such as modern city life, portraits and landscape, Degas's masterpiece presents an intriguing domestic scene which will offer visitors the opportunity to explore ideas around portraiture.
Other featured artists in Making an Impression include Édouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Pierre‐Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt. The exhibition will also seek to explain the fascinating connections between Degas and the featured Impressionists, which will serve to explore their artistic practice and personal/professional relationships.
Councillor Shelley Powell, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods said: ‘We feel incredibly privileged and excited to have been selected as a venue for this exceptional work. This, presented alongside other Impressionist masters from the Ashmolean’s collection, will be a fantastic highlight to our year as the Liverpool City Region’s Borough of Culture. We cannot wait for our communities to have the opportunity to view these incredible works of art right here in Knowsley.
The exhibition will offer something for everyone, and we know that our schools and wider community will absolutely love this wonderful Degas painting, and the exhibition and education programme surrounding it. We are really looking forward to welcoming many, many residents and visitors to Kirkby Gallery.’
Orlando Rock, Chairman of Christie’s UK, said: ‘Art has the power to open new worlds, transporting viewers and unlocking new narratives. This has never been more important and Christie’s are thrilled to support the National Gallery’s vital Masterpiece Tour. The jewels of its collection travelling to our regional museums highlights the significance of these venues and the role that they play in the rich cultural landscape of the UK. Degas’s Hélène Rouart in her Father's Study will be in dialogue with the permanent collections of Gallery Oldham, Glan‐yr‐afon/The Riverside, and Kirkby Gallery, establishing engaging new connections for viewers across the country to explore.’
National Gallery Director Dr Gabriele Finaldi said: ‘Degas’s Hélène Rouart in her Father’s Study is one of the latest portraits in the National Gallery’s collection. It is also one of the most interesting. I am delighted that it will be travelling to Oldham, Pembrokeshire, and Merseyside where it will be presented in quite different contexts with superb accompanying programmes.’
NG6469
Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas
Hélène Rouart in her Father's Study
about 1886
Oil on canvas
162.5 x 121 cm
© The National Gallery, London
Hélène Rouart stands in her father’s study, her hands resting on the back of his empty chair. Works from his art collection can be seen behind her, including three Egyptian statues in a glass case and, above her, a Chinese wall hanging. Although Degas set down the final composition with little subsequent alteration, he did rework areas of the surface, even applying pastel directly to the canvas.
Hélène was the daughter of the engineer and amateur artist Henri Rouart, a friend of Degas, who had a substantial collection of contemporary French painting, including work by Degas. When Hélène was nine, Degas had painted a portrait of her sitting on her father’s knee. She was 23 and married when this portrait was painted, but Degas does not show her wedding ring, perhaps to emphasise her status as a daughter rather than as a wife.
The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Bellini, Cézanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to enhance the collection, care for the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. To find out more about the National Gallery’s strategic aims please visit https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/media/25328/strategic-plan_2018-2023.pdf .
The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour
About Christie’s
Christie's has conducted the greatest and most celebrated auctions through the centuries providing a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers around 350 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie’s also has a long and successful history conducting Private Sales for clients and online sales are offered year-round across all categories. Christie’s global presence is spread across a network of international salerooms and 61 representatives and offices. Christies.com provides detailed articles and videos on the objects offered for sale alongside the latest advances in digital viewing tools to make Christie’s accessible to all.
About Glan-yr-afon/The Riverside, Haverfordwest, Wales
Glan-yr-afon/The Riverside is a flagship cultural centre in the heart of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. Opened in December 2018, it features a 21st-century library, visitor information, coffee shop and a national government indemnity gallery space, which showcases collections from The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. This high-quality facility is unusual and pioneering and is already playing a central part in regenerating the town and wider area of Pembrokeshire.
About Gallery Oldham
Gallery Oldham’s extensive programme includes exhibitions, events, courses and talks, as well as popular family activities and school workshops. We have three main exhibition spaces on the second floor. Oldham Stories is a permanent gallery space devoted to displaying our collections, while the Community Gallery features work by local artists and groups. Our other two galleries host our temporary exhibition programme, which links to our core collections of Natural History, Social History and Art. This programme is designed to enable visitors to socialise and relax, to learn and reminisce, to share memories and experiences.
About Kirkby Gallery
Having relocated in 2014, Kirkby Gallery is run by Knowsley Council, which sits within the Merseyside area of the Liverpool City Region in the North West of England. As its visual art gallery for the borough, it prides itself on presenting a broad and ambitious programme of exhibitions, to which it regularly presents collections from the Arts Council Collection, Hayward Touring, National Trust and multiple regional partner and galleries, as well as that of major visual artists from the North West. As part of a co-location building, which sees multiple council services under the one roof, such as the library, the archives, One Stop Shop and Adult Disability Service, it is a busy and popular venue. The gallery additionally hosts an exciting and diverse range of courses, workshops and events, as well as a packed programme of fun, family-friendly and educational activities all year round.
Admission is free.
About The National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales is the biggest library in Wales and serves as the nation's memory. As a legal deposit library, it has the right to receive a free copy of everything published in Britain and Ireland. Around 4,000 new publications are collected every week that add to The National Library's collection of:
• 7 million books and newspapers
• 950,000 photographs
• 60,000 works of art
• 1.5 million maps
• 5 million feet of film
• 40,000 manuscripts
• 250,000 hours of video
• 1,900 cubic metres of archives
• 250,000 hours of sound
