Degas at the Ballet

Writing in 1881, the critic Jules Claretie noted, "The ballet dancer deserved a special painter...it is Monsieur Degas, who treats the subject as a master". From the early 1870s and through his most productive years, the ballet was to preoccupy Degas. In his powerful oil paintings and pastels he depicted both formal performances and rehearsals, capturing the emotive stances of ballerinas in their off guard moments, resting from their rigorous training. When his failing eyesight finally prevented him from painting, his wax figures of clothed and unclothed dancers continued his obsession in the form of remarkable sculptures. Now regarded as his greatest achievements, these subjects have become so synonymous with Degas that every subsequent painter of the ballet has been eclipsed by his towering genius. The introduction to "Degas at the Ballet" summarizes his life and unique enthusiasm for the dance, and the selection of fine colour plates presents some of his most vibrant and memorable works from worldwide public and private collections.