COLUMBIA, SC.- Columbia, SC - The Columbia Museum of Art presents rarely seen works from its permanent collection in A Body of Work: The Human Figure from Degas to Diebenkorn. A Body of Work features approximately 70 artworks that showcase figural work created primarily in the 20th century, examining this genre's relevance in the history of art. Sixty artists are included with works in a variety of media, from oil on canvas to watercolor, lithograph and etching on paper. In addition to Edgar Degas and Richard Diebenkorn, artists in the exhibition include Sigmund Abeles, Alexander Archipenko, Milton Avery, Marc Chagall, David Hockney, Alfred Hutty, Käthe Kollwitz, Philip Pearlstein, Larry Rivers and David Siqueiros, among others.

"The human figure has been a significant genre throughout the history of art. To examine the human figure and the techniques and styles in its depiction throughout the 20th century is the motivation behind organizing A Body of Work: The Human Figure from Degas to Diebenkorn. By grouping work done in the first half of the century together with work done in the second half of the century, the exhibition seeks to draw parallels in the styles and compositions of the artists and their figural work of the 20th century," says Beth Inman, museum curator.

With a combination of abstract and representational elements from all decades of the 20th century, A Body of Work strives to expand the general perceptions of figural artwork with juxtapositions like The Shepherd (c. 1930s) by Marc Chagall - a simple yet realistic rendering - to work done later in the century such as Study for Square Dancer (1987) by Helen Gilbert - an angular, nonrepresentational composition. Both works depict the human figure but in vastly contrasting styles.

"The Columbia Museum of Art has embarked on this important project to highlight some of the museum's rarely seen artworks and to bring a fresh perspective to a long history of figural art," says museum director, Karen Brosius. "This is the first time that an exhibition of this breadth has been organized from the museum's permanent collection."

A Body of Work: The Human Figure from Degas to Diebenkorn is organized by the Columbia Museum of Art. A Body of Work: The Human Figure from Degas to Diebenkorn is presented by The National Bank of South Carolina with additional sponsorship support provided by Vein Specialists of the South, LLC, Neal Reynolds, M.D.