As an artist, Edgar Degas (1834-1917) defies easy description. Allied with the French impressionists through his commitment to portraying modern life, he also took an independent course, preferring line over color and the visible brushstroke, and working in a studio instead of out-of-doors. He is perhaps best known as a painter, but his most widely known work is a sculpture, "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen." Executed in wax, near life-sized, dressed in a ballerina's tutu, with real ballet slippers and real hair, the sculpture caused a sensation when it was exhibited in 1881. It is the only sculpture Degas ever showed publicly, though more than one hundred--of dancers, horses, and bathers--were found in his studio after he died, all dusty, some fallen apart. For almost forty years after his death, these works were known only through the bronzes his heirs had cast from the originals.Then, in 1955, the waxes themselves appeared on the art market. Thanks to the discernment and generosity of Paul Mellon, the majority are now preserved at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, most on permanent display.

This groundbreaking volume honors this extraordinary gift by linking art and science. It brings together the insights of a distinguished art historian of nineteenth-century painting and sculpture and the specialized knowledge of National Gallery conservators and scientists who have published pioneering technical studies. Including essays on Degas' life and work, his sculptural technique and materials, and the story of the sculptures after his death, it features art-historical and technical discussions of every work in the collection as well as indispensable concordances and bibliography. The richly illustrated text is intended for both art lover and specialist. Was Degas the sculptor technically inept or unusually inventive? How do we understand his sculpture in light of his paintings, prints, and photographs? These questions and many others are explored with originality and depth, adding immeasurably to our understanding of the artistic avant-garde in the late nineteenth century and to our appreciation of this controversial artist.

A technical examination of artists’ workshops and studios across history and media, told through the collections of the National Gallery of Art   Volume 6 of the National Gallery of Art’s biennial conservation research journal Facture explores the themes of workshops and studios in different cultural contexts and various media. Topics examined include serialization in the Della Robbia workshop, the creative practice of early twentieth-century French bronze founders, the restoration histories of French marbles from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the complex interplay between an artist’s technique and the strict competition guidelines of the Prix de Rome, the production of a manuscript by Joris Hoefnagel, and the collaborative nature of an early draft of Freydal ordered by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. The six peer-reviewed essays, richly illustrated with detailed photography, generate valuable insights for conservators, art historians, and scientific researchers.   Distributed for the National Gallery of Art, Washington

The first comprehensive account in English of Renaissance Spain's preeminent sculptor Alonso Berruguete (c. 1488-1561) revolutionized the arts of Renaissance Spain with a dramatic style of sculpture that reflected the decade or more he had spent in Italy while young. Trained as a painter, he traveled to Italy around 1506, where he interacted with Michelangelo and other leading artists. In 1518, he returned to Spain and was appointed court painter to the new king, Charles I. Eventually, he made his way to Valladolid, where he shifted his focus to sculpture, opening a large workshop that produced breathtaking multistory altarpieces (retablos) decorated with sculptures in painted wood. This handsomely illustrated catalogue is the first in English to treat Berruguete's art and career comprehensively. It follows his career from his beginnings in Castile to his final years in Toledo, where he produced his last great work, the marble tomb of Cardinal Juan de Tavera. Enriching the chronological narrative are discussions of important aspects of Berruguete's life and practice: his complicated relationship with social status and wealth; his activity as a draftsman and use of prints; how he worked with his many assistants to create his wood sculptures; and his legacy as an artist. Published in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington Exhibition Schedule: National Gallery of Art, Washington (October 13, 2019-February 17, 2020) Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas (March 29-July 26, 2020)

Close technical examinations of the techniques and materials of Edward Steichen, Mark Rothko, Jules Olitski, Jasper Johns, and others are accompanied by essays that probe issues of conserving contemporary art Volume 5 of the National Gallery of Art's biennial conservation research journal Facture explores issues associated with the conservation and technical analysis of modern and contemporary art. Focusing on works in a variety of media by celebrated artists such as Edward Steichen (1879-1973), Mark Rothko (1903-1970), Jules Olitski (1922-2007), and Jasper Johns (b. 1930), this publication's seven essays offer expertise from conservators, scientists, and art historians, yielding exceptional insights into extraordinary works of art. As in all issues of Facture, the peer-reviewed essays, enlivened with spectacularly detailed photography, navigate interdisciplinary boundaries to examine artworks from technical, scientific, and art-historical perspectives. In this issue, the dialogue is further expanded to include contributions from artists, their families, and their foundations. Distributed for the National Gallery of Art, Washington