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Open 10:00–5:00

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Dancers in the Wings

1879/1880

Edgar Degas

Associated Names

Edgar Degas

Artist, French, 1834 - 1917

The image consists of curved and flowing lines creating an abstract composition. Some lines and forms resemble figures of people, with outlines and postures suggesting shapes akin to individuals. Toward the upper right section, a round shape emerges through the textured background. The texture combines fine dots and smooth patches, evoking a sense of depth.

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This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

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Artwork overview

Medium

etching, aquatint, and drypoint on chine-like laid paper
Credit Line

Rosenwald Collection
Dimensions

plate: 14 × 10.4 cm (5 1/2 × 4 1/8 in.)
sheet: 19.8 × 16.7 cm (7 13/16 × 6 9/16 in.)
Accession Number

1943.3.3363
Catalogue Raisonné

Reed/Shapiro 1984, no. 47, State iv/viii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Richard H. Zinser, Forest Hills, NY); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], 1940; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Rosenwald, Lessing Julius

Exhibition History

1964

Etchings by Edgar Degas, The University of Chicago, 1964, no. 26.

2015

Degas and the Dance, Toledo (Ohio) Museum of Art, 2015-2016.

2019

Degas at the Opera, Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2019-2020, no. 172, repro. (shown only in Paris)

Bibliography

1906

Delteil, Loys. Le peintre-graveur illustre. 31 vols. Paris: Published by the author, 1906-1926. Reprint. New York: Collectors Editions, Da Capo Press, 1969. Vol. 30 (Albert Besnard) is by Louis Godefroy.

1984

Reed, Sue Welsh, and Barbara Stern Shapiro. Edgar Degas: The Painter as Printmaker. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1984: no.47, State iv/viii.

2019

Loyrette, Henri, editor. Degas at the Opéra. Exh. cat. Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2019-2020: 173, no. 172.

Markings

Degas's studio stamp

Wikidata ID

Q64955682

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