Exhibition on Screen: Degas, Passion for Perfection

From the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge and the Denver Art Museum.

EXHIBITION ON SCREEN journeys from the streets of Paris to the heart of the superb Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, whose extensive collection of Degas' works is the most representative in Britain.

With exclusive access to view rare and diverse works, Degas: Passion for Perfection offers a unique insight into Degas' personal and creative life. The film uncovers the fascinating story of Degas' obsessive pursuit for perfection through both experimentation with new techniques and lessons learnt from studying the past masters.

Never fully satisfied, many of Degas' drawings and sculptures were kept in private during his lifetime but now, through close examination, they can be seen as some of the most beautifully detailed and expressive works in the modern era. Using written accounts by friends and commentators, and the narration of letters written by Degas himself, this film reveals a more complex truth behind one of the most influential French artists of the late 19th-century and serves as an exploration of the complex workings of Degas' artistic mind.

Directed by David Bickerstaff

Written by David Bickerstaff and Phil Grabsky