Degas at the Opera

A beautiful book revealing what the French Impressionist learned at the Paris Opera about perspective and light, as well as what his work can tell us about a night at the opera in the 19th century

Edgar Degas (1834–1917) is celebrated as ‘the painter of dancers’, a subject that dominated his art for nearly four decades. Although there have been many books and exhibitions celebrating his love of the ballet, this volume is the first to consider his enduring fascination with the Paris Opéra. Celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Opéra’s founding and accompanying an exhibition at the Musée D'Orsay, Degas at the Opéra presents approximately 100 of the artist’s best-known and beloved works in a range of media, including paintings, pastels, drawings, prints and sculpture.

A music lover and regular visitor to performances, Degas explored both the public spaces of the Opéra – auditorium, stage and boxes – as well as more private ones, including dance studios and backstage. He immortalized the players in this dazzling universe in such paintings as La Loge, La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans and Le Foyer de la Danse. They and many other works are reproduced here, accompanied by texts by a distinguished team of art historians.

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