Over 40 years, the shipping magnate collected more than 9,000 paintings, tapestries, sculptures and artefacts, which he left to the city of Glasgow in 1947.Degas was one of a number of artists in 19th century Paris who flew in the face of the art establishment, by capturing real people in real situations.Frances Fowle, is Professor of Nineteenth Century Art at the University of Edinburgh and believes Degas’ practical approach appealed to the industrialist.
The Tub - which shows a woman bathing - is made of lead, the water of cloths in plaster, and she’s clutching a real sponge.Another work, borrowed from the Musee D’Orsay in Paris depicts a couple drinking absinthe in a bar.It scandalised polite Parisian society and was booed at auction in London in 1892.
At the end of 1873, a number of artists including Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and Degas founded their own society to exhibit works independently. They invited a further 30 artists to contribute to their first exhibition in April 1874.Alex Reid was an amateur artist who worked for his father’s firm in Glasgow, making furniture for ships and selling pictures.
“This year, there are going to be exhibitions of Impressionist art across Europe, so we are lucky to have this fantastic show here in Glasgow,” says Frances Fowle.One of the Glasgow paintings – The Rehearsal – remains upstairs in the main museum collection but the others are displayed alongside 28 works borrowed from 13 collections across Europe.It’s a key moment for the Burrell Collection. Although the collection was left to the city of Glasgow in 1947, it took decades to create a home for it.