Discovering Degas: Collecting in the Time of William Burrell

Celebrating one of the most-loved Impressionist artists, Edgar Degas, this exhibition brought together around 30 works on loan from leading national and international collections, with Sir William Burrell’s outstanding collection of more than 20 works by the artist.

The loaned works included beautiful examples of Degas’ pastels and bronze figures from collections like the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, Tate London and the Courtauld Institute, also in London.

Sir William Burrell and his wife Constance, Lady Burrell were amongst the earliest Scottish collectors to buy art by Degas. Over a 40-year collecting period the Burrells bought over 20 pieces, far more than any other UK collector and spanning the artist’s entire career.

As well as bringing together some of the finest examples of Degas' work, the exhibition explored the Burrells’ collecting through fascinating letters and other archival material, positioning them in the context of other British collectors at the time. Like the Burrells, many other collectors began to appreciate Degas’ incredible talent for capturing subjects like the ballet, racehorses, and scenes of modern life during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

★★★★ - The Times

"Art world blockbuster in the making" - The Herald 

"A significant art-historical occasion" - Apollo Magazine

★★★★★ - The Scotsman

Loans to this exhibition were supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund. Created by the Garfield Weston Foundation and Art Fund, the Weston Loan Programme is the first ever UK-wide funding scheme to enable smaller and local authority museums to borrow works of art and artefacts from national collections.

Internal Exhibition photography by Paul Watt Photography.