A painting that is usually found in an East Sussex gallery is spending the summer on display at the National Gallery in London.
The Daredevils by Thérèse Lessore has been loaned by Hastings Museum and Art Gallery (HMAG).
The painting was bought by the Went Tree Trust for £800 in 1983 and donated to HMAG.
It has been loaned to the National Gallery as part of its Discover Degas and Miss La La exhibition until 1 September.
The gallery approached the museum about the artwork as The Daredevils is emblematic of the impact of Degas’s work Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando on artists in Britain.
“The painting is hanging in the closing section of the exhibition, which focuses on [circus artist] Miss La La’s afterlife,” a HMAG spokesperson said.
The Daredevils portrays three trapeze artists seen from below.
Lessore’s husband, Walter Sickert, described Degas as “the one great French painter, perhaps one of the greatest artists the world has ever seen”.
He said his wife’s painting shows how familiar she was with Degas’ work.
Alice Roberts-Pratt, senior curator (collections and engagement) at HMAG, said: “We are so excited that this stunning painting by a female artist will be hanging alongside other works of national importance at the National Gallery this summer.
“HMAG is very keen to share its collection with a wider audience and so loaning our objects to other museums is just one way of achieving this.”
