The National Gallery in London has changed the name of Edgar Degas' painting "Russian Dancers" to "Ukrainian Dancers", deeming the current tense situation in Eastern Europe "appropriate" for such changes.
"The title of this painting has been an ongoing point of discussion for many years and is covered in scholarly literature; however there has been increased focus on it over the past month due to the current situation so therefore we felt it was an appropriate moment to update the painting's title to better reflect the subject of the painting", a National Gallery spokesperson explained as cited by The Guardian.
The move was praised by some as long overdue, since debates around Degas' painting did not start in 2022 but much earlier, with Ukrainian art activist Mariia Kashchenko telling The Guardian that "it's really important now to get things right", even though the term "Russian art" was an "easy umbrella term" when it came to Slavic culture.
"As a Ukrainian person, in the past I would have encountered times when I was called Russian, or where Ukrainian heritage was described as Russian", Kashchenko said.
But while some praise the National Gallery's decision as a step towards getting rid of "lazy mislabeling", others argued that it looks more like a political gesture than a nod to Ukrainian heritage.
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© Photo : Twitter / @tiffin1963
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© Photo : Twitter / @WhatsUpChocNut
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© Photo : Twitter / @skaldique
Currently, the controversial Degas painting is not on display.
The French painter created the work in 1899 and chose to name it "Russian Dancers". London's National Gallery appears to be a pioneer when it comes to re-naming the painting, as, for example, The Metropolitan Museum in New York still displays it as "Russian Dancers".
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