:In the late summer of 1885, a group of friends gathered in the
popular resort town of Dieppe on the Normandy Coast of France.
With its beachfront promenade and sprawling chalets, Dieppe was a
chic destination for artists and writers.
The summer of 1885 was like many others, but for one remarkable
souvenir - Edgar Degas's "Six Friends at Dieppe," a dramatic
pastel portrait representing key members of the artist's milieu:
librettist Ludovic Halévy; his son Daniel; theater and concert
censor Alfred Boulanger-Cavé; French artists Jacques-Emile
Blanche and Henri Gervex; and British painter Walter Sickert.
From September 16 through January 15, the Museum of Art, Rhode
Island School of Design, will present "Edgar Degas: Six Friends
at Dieppe," an exhibition centered around this exceptional group
portrait. Maureen O'Brien, curator of painting and sculpture at
the museum, proposes "Six Friends at Dieppe," with its dramatic
perspectives, as a lens through which to view both the lives and
works of the individual subjects and the atmosphere of this
lively resort town.
Anchored by a single work of art, which is in RISD's permanent
collection, the exhibition includes more than 70 artworks by
Degas and his contemporaries, including books, letters and other
supporting documentation. On display are drawings and paintings
by Blanche, Gervex and Sickert, all respected artists in their
own right; photographs of the protagonists taken by Degas and
Walter Barnes; and a group of rare monotypes Degas completed as
illustrations for Ludovic Halévy's fictional behind-the-scenes
tale of the Paris ballet, "La Famillie Cardinal." Additionally,
the museum will present its complete collection of drawings,
painting and sculpture by Degas.
The museum is fortunate to have this masterpiece in its permanent
collection. Acquired in 1931, "Six Friends at Dieppe" measures
451/4 by 28 inches, unusually large for Degas's pastel drawings.
Sketched from life, the pastel bears no traces of fixative,
making transport of the work prohibitive. While this portrait has
been reproduced in many books, only in Providence can one see
"Six Friends" firsthand
RISD Museum is at 224 Benefit Street. For information,
www.risdmuseum.org or 401-454-6500.
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