Born on July 19
Edgar Degas's Birthday
The painter of dancers.
Next: July 19, 2027
Where it comes from
Edgar Degas was born in Paris on 19 July 1834, and this Story marks his birthday. The son of a wealthy banking family, he copied Italian Renaissance paintings at the Louvre, trained in the academic style and became a skilled draughtsman.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance. His paintings, pastels and sculptures hang in museums around the world, among them the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, and many can be explored online.
Did you know
Degas was among the earliest collectors of Japanese art in France, and from ukiyo-e prints he borrowed asymmetrical compositions and bold cropping rather than kimonos and props.
Read the full story of Edgar Degas's Birthday
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