Edgar Degas Trivia Questions

Degas never danced professionally. He was a dedicated painter and sculptor who obsessively studied ballet dancers, attending rehearsals and performances to capture their movements.

Degas created around 1,500 works total across all subjects, with only a portion being ballet-themed. The number of his ballet pieces is in the hundreds, not over 1,500. He typically worked in his studio, not on stage.

Edgar Degas was born in Paris, France, on July 19, 1834. Although his mother was from New Orleans, Degas never lived there as a child; he visited only in 1872.

While Degas painted many animals, there is no record of a pet monkey; this myth likely confuses him with other artists like Frida Kahlo.

Degas and Cassatt were close friends and professional allies, but no romantic relationship existed; both remained unmarried by choice.

Degas helped organize the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874, but he preferred to be called a 'realist' or 'independent' and often rejected the term Impressionist.

Degas owned hundreds of Japanese prints, which influenced his compositions, use of asymmetrical angles, and cropped figures. His collection included works by Hokusai and Hiroshige.

The painting actually depicts actress Ellen Andrée and artist Marcellin Desboutin in a café, not Degas. It is not a self-portrait.

Degas participated in seven of eight Impressionist exhibitions but preferred the term 'realist' and disdained plein air painting.

Degas enlisted in the National Guard and served as a soldier during the siege of Paris. His eyesight, already weak, was further damaged by the cold and outdoor duty.

Unlike many Impressionists, Degas worked indoors in his studio, using sketches, memory, and models. He believed painting outdoors produced too much spontaneity and lacked control.

Starting in the 1890s, Degas took hundreds of photographs, often using them to capture unusual angles and poses for his works.

He exhibited only one sculpture publicly—the wax ‘Little Dancer of Fourteen Years’—and bronze casts were made after his death.

Degas had severe vision problems later in life but was not blind in one eye early on; his unique framing came from photography and Japanese prints.

Degas created many wax sculptures, but only the 'Little Dancer' was displayed in public (at the 1881 Impressionist exhibition). The others were cast after his death.

Camille Pissarro exhibited in all eight exhibitions. Degas participated in seven of the eight, missing only the 1882 exhibition due to a dispute with the organizers.