All-Star Statues National Gallery Exhibit Is Glory of Figurative Work by Gary Tischler Sculptures can be many things: They are transportable. They are changelings. They are ghosts, alive in their own unique way. And at the National Gallery of Artís West Building, there is an abundance of all these things as the gallery shows off its newly expanded sculpture division with an expansive, generous exhibition that spreads itself around several rooms. The effect is a little like jumping into an antique gilded coach, the horses eager and the coachman old and wise, running through time, watching the parade. Sculpture at the National Gallery has always been something of an afterthought. Even though its collection is extensive, sculpture has always been tucked away in galleries youíd be hard pressed to notice instantly. There hasnít been much fanfare, but you can bet thereís something to sing about now. In this exhibition, visitors can bathe in the soothing effects of light through a stained-glass window, wonder over the devotional silence of Renaissance and earlier tapestries, and be comforted by the stre ngth of old furniture. Mostly though, youíll feel, in some ways, that youíre a welcome stranger at some sort of party, a gathering of men and women, of better and lesser beings. This gathering encompasses some 800 works and 22 galleries ranging from the Middle Ages to the cusp of the 20th century. The sculpture exhibition stops at the beginning of modern times: Auguste Rodin and Edgar Degas are as current as things get, which is just fine in this setting. Rodin, with his bold, muscular, look-in-the-face-of-Godís-creation style is practically celebrating classicism, not just the likes of Michelangelo, which he echoes, but back to the dawn of things when Gods and men intertwined. Degas on the other hand is the announcer of the modern. In his wax works of horses, women and dancers, he has found a three-dimensional version of his impressionist works. The exhibition as it stands also includes objects that donít necessarily qualify as sculpturesómedals, coins and paquettes from the Renaissance, as well as furniture, tapestries, stained-glass windows and a few Degas paintings that augment his sculptures and give them a colorful context. For the most part, this exhibition is the glory of figurative sculpture and the charm of form and material. The thing about figurative sculptures is hooked in a simple idea: Everywhere you go, there they are. So if you see, for instance, the figure of Diana of the Tower from two galleries away, you canít help but be drawn to investigate further. Up close, she is sleek, all swift fire and model thinóa solid fantasy. Standing next to a flesh-and-blood woman wrapped in an overcoat, ski hat and boots, she suddenly makes flesh seem slow. Or go to the space of the four Degas dancers, the wax sculptures of two nude models and two finished forms complete with real dresses. In glass, the foursome face each other individually. Itís as if memories lie in the spaces between them, and itís easy enough to imagine them speaking at night when no one is there. Sculptures, any sort but especially the great ones, can make you feel as if youíre walking in on a conversation. Part of their beauty is that as examples, context and model, they were alive, but as a finished work, they give off the illusion of having the power to become animated again. These four dancers are the centerpiece in a room where Rodin otherwise presents a formidable presence with his white marbles and classic bronzes. In some ways, if you move toward the modern, he is the exhibitionís star, his works scattered throughout. What a cast of characters. In this exhibition, you are in a parade of all-stars. Where else can you find dying centaurs, Hercules laboring, wrestling, lions catching their prey, a rush of mourners carrying Christ to his grave, an impish, smiling face of a youthful John the Baptist, or a beatific young Jesus watching him across the room. The light hits them all like a kiss, like makeup from behind and above, showing up in the purity of white marble, reflecting the power of bronze, and exposing the artistís skill, gift, genius and perseverance. "New Sculpture Galleries: Permanent Collection Installation" is now on display at the National Gallery of Art, 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue, NW. For more information, please call (202) 737-4215 or visit www.nga.gov. Gary Tischler is a contributing writer to The Washington Diplomat.