Our August speaker in the FoGM Zoom Lecture Series 2024 was Pippa Stephenson-Sit, Curator of European Art for Glasgow Museums and co-curator of Discovering Degas: Collecting in the Time of William Burrell, which is currently running at the Burrell (until 30th September). Following on from Pippa’s lecture, a group of Friends took the opportunity to visit the exhibition in person and view the Degas works acquired by Burrell, along with 30 more on loan from leading national and international collections, which have been curated into this stunning and critically acclaimed show. Passing through the wonderfully laid-out exhibition space, Friends enjoyed a breath-taking selection of paintings, pastels, sketches and sculptures, alongside documentation and correspondence giving insights into the collecting habits of William and Constance Burrell. Among the many highlights was a rare chance to see, up close, Edgar Degas’ iconic (and controversial) painting L’Absinthe (on loan from the Musée d’Orsay). Our thanks again to Pippa for a delivering such a fascinating talk, which greatly enhanced our subsequent visit.
