Edgar Degas

Exhibited by Bailly Gallery Geneva-Paris

Material Oil and ink on canvas

Dimensions 54 x 39 cm

Place of Creation New Orleans, Louisiana

Price 500000

Status Vetted

About the Work

In 1872, Edgar Degas, at 38, visited New Orleans, drawn by its exotic charm and family ties. He stayed for five months with his uncle and brothers, who were involved in cotton trading and insurance. Degas discovered a city rebuilding after the Civil War, filled with grand Creole homes.

His uncle’s residence impressed him, and he set up a studio to paint family portraits, despite finding it challenging. One notable work, Femme à la Coiffe Blanche, was a study for Children on a Doorstep (1873), depicting children and their nanny. Degas embraced an unfinished style, prioritizing emotion over detail, which became a hallmark of his work. His time in New Orleans marked a turning point, shifting his focus from historical subjects to intimate, everyday scenes, revealing a new, empathetic artistic direction. This brief stay left a lasting impact on his development as an artist.

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Provenance

Collection of René de Gas, Paris
Auction, Drouot Paris, Vente de Gas, November 10th, 1927, lot 93
Collection of Charles Vignier, Paris
Auction, Drouot Paris, Vente Vignier, May 21st, 1931, lot 15
Private collection
Collection Bemberg, Switzerland

Literature

Degas et son oeuvre, 1946-1949, Vol.II, by P.A.Lemoisne, P.Brame and C.M.de Hauke, Arts et métiers graphiques, Paris, 1984, illustrated under no.311, p.156.
Edgar Degas 1834-1917 : le premier catalogue raisonné numérique, by Michel Schulman, listed under MS-1945.
Degas and New Orleans, A french Impressionnist in America, by Gail Feigenbaum, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1999, illustrated under no.97, p.216.