Exhibitions | Online | Degas: Drawings and Sketchbook

Explore: Sketchbook | Drawings | Conservation

A founding member of the Impressionist group, Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (1834–1917) was distinguished by his Realist tendencies and stands apart from his contemporaries in many ways. Intelligent, analytical, and engrossed by the coarseness and beauty of modern life, he is an artist both familiar and enigmatic.

This presentation of drawings and a sketchbook by Degas from the Morgan's collections captures the range of the artist's draftsmanship and includes his most quintessential subjects. From his earliest portraits of himself, family members, and friends to his later intensive studies of dancers and performers, these drawings testify to Degas' complex working methods, unconventional approach to composition, and keen powers of observation.

This online exhibition is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Degas: Drawings and Sketchbooks on view September 24, 2010, through January 23, 2011.