Portrait of the Artist: Degas as a Collector

"Degas as a Collector" — why on earth did they not hit upon the wonderful idea before? Walking through this compact exhibition, on view at the National Gallery until Aug. 26, is like being taken into the private artistic thoughts of one of the greatest masters of the 19th century. Designed to

complement the main subject, "Degas Beyond Impressionism," the side show turns out to be the real novelty. It is gripping.

Artists are often assumed to be absorbed in their creation. But, lo and behold, Degas passionately loved the art of others, past and present.

Family background had its part in the feverish collecting in which the painter was engaged throughout a long life. In a remarkably well-documented series of essays published in magazine format to accompany the show, Ann Dumas points out that the artist's grandfather was a tireless art hunter.

In Naples, where Hilaire de Gas arrived as a refugee fleeing the French revolutionary fury unleashed on aristocrats, he surrounded himself with paintings, Empire furniture and silver gilt as soon as he had made enough money as a successful banker. His son Auguste, father of Edgar Degas, kept up the tradition, and what he saw left its imprint on young Degas.

In the pastel portrait of his sister Thérèse painted around 1869, a painting done in 1771 by Jean-Baptiste Perronneau is clearly visible on a wall. The portrait of "Madame Miron" is a searching psychological study of an ungainly middle-aged woman in her finery, sullenly aloof and defensive. Turned three-quarters, she looks sideways at the viewer, as if distantly sizing him up.