This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
In his lifetime, the famous French artist Edgar Degas (1834-1917) exhibited just one of his sculptures – Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen. Only a few of his friends were allowed to see his studio, where he kept more than 100 wax and clay small-scale sculptural studies of horses, dancers, and bathers.
After Degas’ death, his heirs selected 74 of the best-preserved clay and wax studies and cast them in bronze. Norton Simon was the smart and lucky collector to acquire 72 of 74 bronze modèles. Now, in celebration of 100 years since Degas’ death, Norton Simon Museum has put on display all these bronze modèles for the first time.
Advertisement
Most of us are well familiar with Degas’ pastels and oil paintings with their sensual but unidealized images of dancers and bathers. Now, in this exhibition, we can see these images along with bronze sculptures of the same subjects.
And, these bronze sculptures come across as even more truthful and matter-of-fact snapshots of movement. This exhibition, Taking Shape: Degas as Sculptor, runs through April 9, 2018. It’s our only chance to see all these bronze modèles together, because life is not fair, and most of these unique sculptures will go back to museum storage.
Advertisement
Other good news coming from Pasadena is the reopening of USC Pacific Asia Museum after its seismic retrofit, which kept the museum closed for a year. This historic 1924 building is “designed in the style of a Chinese imperial palace, and features a central courtyard with a garden, small pool, and decorative carvings” (Wikipedia).
In its renewed building, the museum highlights its extensive collection of classic and contemporary arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands. The grand reopening of the museum also presents an intriguing exhibition, Winds from Fusang: Mexico and China in the Twentieth Century, exploring the influence of Mexican art on contemporary Chinese murals.
Advertisement
I bet that many of you have passed by the charming, well-preserved late 19th century building on Main Street in Santa Monica. But, how many of you have been inside? Today, it is the home of the California Heritage Museum. Last week, it opened a new quilt exhibition, Art Quilts, with a tongue-in-cheek subtitle, “Not your grandmother’s quilt show!” And indeed, it’s not.
Out of 300 submissions from members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates, the museum selected 64 quilts that range from rather traditional to punchy with a welcome touch of humor. All the quilts are for sale, and if you think that you were a good boy or girl last year, you might want to ask Santa to drop one of these quilts down your chimn
Edward Goldman is an art critic and the host of Art Talk, a program on art and culture for NPR affiliate KCRW 89.9 FM. To listen to the complete show and hear Edward’s charming Russian accent, click here.
To join Edward’s Fine Art of Art Collecting Classes, please visit his website. You can read more about his classes in the New York Timeshere and in Artillery Magazine.
Advertisement
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.