20/06/24
Discover Degas and Miss La La
National Gallery, London
6 June – 1 September 2024
In among his much-loved pictures of ballet dancers and ladies at their toilette, one painting by the French impressionist Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (1834-1917) in the National Gallery’s collection rather stands out – Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando (1879). At first glance, it is not immediately obvious that the acrobat depicted – the eponymous Miss La La (born Anna Albertine Olga Brown, in 1858, in Pomerania) – is, in fact, suspended by a rope, from the ceiling of the permanent big top, clenching only a leather mouthpiece between her teeth, performing her so-called “iron jaw” stunt. It is a painting that needs some explaining, and so it was the obvious choice for one in the gallery’s series of “Discover” exhibitions, which aim to “explore lesser-known masterpieces in a new light”. In addition, the work came into the national collection early in 1925, and so this is the ideal way to mark its centenary, at the same time as the gallery celebrates its bicentenary.
Read my full review here