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European Painting before 1900, Johnson Collection The Ballet Class c. 1880 Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas, French, 1834 - 1917 Oil on canvas 32 3/8 x 30 1/4 inches (82.2 x 76.8 cm) * Gallery 153, European Art 1850-1900, first floor (Annenberg Galleries) W1937-2-1 Purchased with the W. P. Wilstach Fund, 1937 |
Gallery LabelIn this everyday scene from backstage at the Paris Opéra, a ballet instructor observes two young dancers while a mother sits reading in the foreground. Degas spent a great deal of time in the corridors and rehearsal rooms of the Opéra, where he would have seen mothers like this one managing their young daughters' careers. Girls began official ballet classes at age seven or eight in hopes of becoming premiere dancers by their late teens.* Works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. Although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit. |
