Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas trained in the classical tradition and admired Ingres, but became a founding member of the Impressionist group, preferring to call himself a Realist. He is best known for his ballet dancers, racehorses, laundresses and women bathing, often seen from unusual angles influenced by photography and Japanese prints. He worked extensively in pastel and made wax sculptures, of which only Little Dancer Aged Fourteen was exhibited in his lifetime. The National Gallery and the Courtauld Gallery in London both hold important works by him.