Edgar Degas Pastels

Two exceptional pastels by the Impressionist master Edgar Degas will be on view in the Impressionist gallery (P31) for a limited time only!

Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was one of the founding members of the Impressionists, a group of avant-garde artists including Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Auguste Renoir who were interested in depicting subjects from modern life. Degas was especially drawn to the human figure and dedicated a large part of his artistic production to images of Parisian women.

In the 1880s he began representing women at work, whether dancers, laundresses, cabaret performers, or hat makers, as with Little Milliners. During this time he also created an intimate series of pastels that feature women washing and drying themselves, such as After the Bath. These exquisite pastels reveal Degas’ keen observation of everyday moments. His figures are caught off guard, often in awkward poses, their movements broken down to convey the underlying rhythms of their actions and gestures.

Come see these masterpieces of 19th-century art during this rare display, which for reasons of preservation will not be repeated again for several years.