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Artists in 60 Seconds: Edgar Degas (Hilaire-Germain-Edgar de Gas)

French Painter and Sculptor

By Shelley Esaak, About.com

© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917). The Dancing Class, probably 1871. Oil on wood. 7 3/4 x 10 5/8 in. (19.7 x 27 cm). H. O. Havermeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havermeyer, 1929.

© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Movement, Style, School or Type of Art

Realism > Impressionism

Date and Place of Birth

July 19, 1834, Paris, France

Life

Degas carefully studied arrested movement, making countless studies and paintings of the human form in motion. He is also known for his clever use of empty space in composition. We know him best for his images of dancers.

Important Works

  • The Dance Class, 1874
  • Glass of Absinthe, 1876
  • Little Ballet Dancer, 1880-81
  • The Morning Bath, 1890

Date and Place of Death

September 27, 1917, Paris, France

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