In June, Museum Beelden aan Zee will be staging an exhibition which creates a dialogue between the work of the British visual artist Ryan Gander (1976) and that of the French painter and sculptor Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917). Since 2008, Gander has been working on a conceptual series in which he reinterprets Degas’ world-famous sculpture Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans (1881) and places her in a contemporary context. Gander’s sculptures liberate Degas’ fourteen year-old dancer from her pedestal and places her in various scenarios. The exhibition in Museum Beelden aan Zee will show Gander’s series of twenty-one ballerinas for the first time, and also in direct connection with Degas’ famous sculpture.

Transition
Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans marks the transition from classical to modern sculpture. The French artist not only captured the beauty of ballet life but also the tension between the discipline of dance and the vulnerability of youth with this sculpture of the young ballerina in a restrained and realistic pose. More than a century later, Ryan Gander reflects upon Degas' work through a series of ballerina sculptures with poetic titles in unexpected or everyday situations. His reinterpretations raise questions about the idealization of the ballerina and the role of art in presenting reality versus fiction.

Brigitte Bloksma, director of Museum Beelden aan Zee and curator of the exhibition: “The relationship between Degas' original work and Gander’s approach offers a fascinating reflection on the perception of the ballerina and the subtle boundaries between art and everyday life. It shows how artists across time address themes such as movement, youth, and vulnerability.” 

New work
Ryan Gander X Edgar Degas – Pas de Deux will be Ryan Gander’s first solo exhibition in the Netherlands. The exhibition is being made possible thanks to a collaboration with public and private collections worldwide which have lent their sculptures, as well as Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, which has kindly lent us Degas’ Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans (1880 – 1881/1922). Museum Beelden aan Zee has commissioned Ryan Gander to make a new ballerina, Waiting for timefall, or Living in a time where everything is possible, but nothing can happen, the last work in his series.

Curator: Brigitte Bloksma 

A publication with a contribution by the artist is being published to coincide with the exhibition.

Book your tickets at https://www.beeldenaanzee.nl/en/visit/buy-tickets