Edgar degas biography and paintings worth

(1834-1917)

Who Was Edgar Degas?

Edgar Degas studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and became renowned as a stellar portraitist, fusing Impressionistic sensibilities with traditional approaches.

Edgar degas biography and paintings worth

Both a painter and sculptor, Degas enjoyed capturing female dancers and played with unusual angles and ideas around centering. His work influenced several major modern artists, including Pablo Picasso.

Early Life

Degas was born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar de Gas on July 19, 1834, in Paris, France.

(As an adult, Degas reverted his last name back to the original spelling.) His father, Auguste, was a banker, and his mother, Celestine, was an American from New Orleans. Their family were members of the middle class with nobler pretensions.

For many years, the Degas family spelled their name "de Gas"; the preposition "de" suggesting a land-owning aristocratic background which they did not actually have.

Degas came from a very musical household – his moth