New-York tribune., 1919-10-19

ton would crumbe or go awry. But
a man of his gifts could not winnow
the wind Something was certain to
come forth from all that struggle In
qulry made of M. Durand- Ruel. the
person best qualified to report on the
matte, elected, last summer, the fol-
lowing letter:
My dear Mr.. Cortssoz:
1t is quite exact that Degas has spent
good deal of time not only in The later
years OF his lifa, but for the past thirty
Years, IN modelling in clay. Thus as far
- | can rememb that TO say ~ hans
forty years-whenever | called on Degas I
vas Almost "a sure To find hlm mooe...ns in
clay as painting. He must have mad, an
enormous number of clay or wax figures
But as he never took care OF them--he
never put them in bronze-~-they always fell
to pieces after few years and for that
exist
When made the inventory of Degas 5
po sessions | found about hundred and
nifty pieces scattered over hi, three floors in
very possible place. Most of them were in
pieces some almost reduced to dust We
put apart all those that we thought might
be seen, which was about one hundsei and
we made an inventory of them. Out of these
.hrty are about valueless thirty badly
hrok up and very sketchy; the remaining
thirty are cutie fine. They can be cast in
bronze. They have all been intrusted to the
of the sculptor. Bartholome. who was
m intimate friend of Dcgas, and in the
near future the work will be started by the
found4r, Hebrard, who will reproduce them
II circ perdue.
1t is understood that twenty-five sets of
each statuette will be mad The first set
will be given to the Louvre. The other sets
viii be, sold. 1t is very likely that these
here will be surely twenty four amateurs
md museums in the world who will want Il
complete set Of Degas sculptures. Th
models will afterward be destroyed. They
lion that they can h~rdIy last much longe
Yours sincerely,
J. DURAND-RUEI.
II has taken some time to obtal
photographs of these figures, but fna
y, through the kindness of NJ. Durand-
Ruel, it has been possible to examine
set of them and to reproduce Il few
n this page Difficult as it is to Judge
t work in the round from such re-
| productions, one may make here some
,urmises as to the character of Degas
Is a sculptor. 1t invites, to barin with
certain discrimination There will
re strong tendency. of course, when
he bronzes are brought into public
| lew, TO hail them as masterpieces.
|. Paul Gsell, who has seen the pieces
IN wax and plaster, has designated
1om in ia Renas iance" as the pro-
ductions of an statcaire de genie
hc phrase is just, yet we can imagine
is meaning being pressed too far
ienius is there, but in the form of q
sind of tAumb print, STAMPING tn fig
rines with the individuality of Degas
/ It is not there in the sense of giving
full-rounded works of art. little
/ masterpieces of creative power unified
/ md altogether felicitous. These sta
,uettes, wrought with so much meticu-
Gus care, caressed into being through
endless months. impress us with The
iame quality that belongs to mas. of
the drawings Of Degas-they seem
more like casual, fugitive notes than
balanced creations. 1t is tolerably
,ortain that the impulsive enthusiast
will find it impossible to look at them
Without aluding to Tanagra. Yet the
Hanagra terra Gotta is about the last
hing in the word which it would be
legitimate to cite where these little
sculptures are concerned.
Works Destined for the Museums
The mark of the true Tanagra is ar
ineifablc exquisitcness, lightness and