Degas, Edgar (1834-1917)

Degas, Edgar

PAINTER, GRAPHICAL ARTIST, ETCHER, LITHOGRAPHER, SCULPTOR (FRANCE)

BORN 19 Jul 1834, Paris - DIED 26 Sep 1917, Paris
BIRTH NAME Degas, Edgar Germain Hilaire
CAUSE OF DEATH cerebral hemorrhage
GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Cimetière de Montmartre, 20 Avenue Rachel (division 04)

Degas was born in Paris as the son of the banker Augustin De Gas. Instead of becoming a lawyer he turned to painting and during his travels to Italy he came into contact with Gustave Moreau. Back in Paris he copied paintings at the Louvre and there he met Manet in 1864.

Initially Degas painted historical subjects, but from 1865 he chose subjects from his own time. He first exhibited at the Salon in 1865. During the Franco-Prussian war he was involved in the defense of Paris. In 1872 he went to New Orleans, Louisiana where his brother René and other relatives lived. In 1873 he returned to Paris.

When his father died it became clear that René had huge debts and Degas had to sell his house. He was suddenly dependent on the sales of his paintings. His paintings of ballet lessons became famous and although he joined the impressionists he never gave up his own independence. The sales of his own work enabled him to collect works of artists he admired, both old masters and contemporaties.

During the 1880s he became interested in photography and he photographed many of his friends himself. During the Dreyfus Affair he distanced himself from his Jewish friends. He regretted this afterwards. Towards the end of his life his eyesight failed and he turned his attention to sculpture. His last years were lonely because he was almost blind and he had outlived most of his friends.

Related persons
• was a friend of Boldini, Giovanni
• was painted by Boldini, Giovanni
• knew Haas, Charles
• had work owned by Ionides, Constantine Alexander
• painted Mérode, Cléo de
• was a friend of Moreau, Gustave
• was a friend of Nittis, Giuseppe de
• painted Nittis, Léontine de
• was painted by Pellegrini, Carlo
• was teacher of Rouart, Ernest
• was a friend of Sickert, Walter
• was the lover of Valadon, Suzanne

Images
The grave of Edgar Degas at the Cimetière Montmartre, Paris. Picture by Androom (20 Feb 2016)	"The Dance Class". (1874, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art)