Dialogues with Degas

Thoughtfully positioning the work of Edgar Degas in dialogue with that of certain contemporary artists, Brown compellingly reveals not just his ongoing relevance, but also the rich possibilities presented by an art history that is global, diverse, non-linear and inclusive. * MARNI KESSLER, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Kress Foundation Department of Art History, University of Kansas, USA * Kathryn Brown makes an adventurous charting of the cultural, social, and aesthetic loops and swoops of Degas’s art through the practices of leading contemporary artists. Dialogical and tantalisingly transversal in its sights and insights, vivid in its writing, this book is a major advance in art criticism. * SUSAN HARROW, Ashley Watkins Professor of French, University of Bristol, UK * Exhilarating in her focus on women and ‘minority’ painters, Kathryn Brown recalibrates our understanding of Degas through the prism of modern art. Brown’s vivid analysis of post-WWII artists’ engagement with Degas – including Kitaj, Rego, Hambling, Xinyi Cheng and Twombly – explores the enduring impact of Degas’s provocative art. * ANTHEA CALLEN, Professor Emeritus of Visual Culture, and Professor Emeritus, The Australian National University, Australia * Bringing Degas’ oeuvre thrillingly to life, this book demonstrates how, in grappling with his more problematic aspects, contemporary artists have added a whole range of complexities of their own. * REBECCA FORTNUM, Professor of Fine Art and Head of the School of Fine Art, The Glasgow School of Art, UK *