 |
|
 |
| |
Edgar
Degas, Dancers Backstage, 1876/1883, oil on canvas, National
Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970.17.25 |
|
|
In
Degas’ ballet paintings, you often see men in formal dress waiting on
the stage, in the wings, in the practice rooms, or in the dressing rooms
with the dancers. These men are the abonnés, the yearly subscribers
to the Opera. Entitled to the full run of the Opera House (even during performances),
the abonnés befriended the ballerinas, and in some cases, they became
the dancers’ “protectors.”
 
|
|
