“It has been the dream of my life to paint walls,” said Edgar Degas. Though he painted murals, ceramics, fans, and bas-reliefs, it was his ballerinas—aglow in gaslight, tulle skirts like glittering mist—that captured the collective imagination. Degas wasn’t the only Impressionist with a penchant for the decorative. Cassatt, Cézanne, Morisot, Monet, and many others initially conceived of their vibrant landscapes and still lifes as “ornamental paintings.” Monet referred to his Water Lilies as “great decorations.” Featuring never-before-seen works by these masters, this exhibition focuses on the terms decor, decoration, and decorative. —Elena Clavarino