Designs Inspired by the Work of Edgar Degas
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Best SellerEdgar Degas: Little Dancer Sculpture$55.00 - $125.00As low as $55.00
Questions
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Why is Degas's "Little Dancer" sculpture so famous?
The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer sculpture is a highlight of The Met collection. Edgar Degas's original "little dancer" sculpture, unveiled to controversy at the 1881 Impressionist exhibition in Paris, presented an unsettlingly lifelike portrayal of the subject Marie van Goethem in a fabric tutu, ballet slippers, and a wig of human hair. The Museum's edition was cast 1922 and is now regarded as one of the artist's most beloved sculptures of ballerinas. -
Who is the girl in Degas's "Little Dancer" sculpture?
Marie van Goethem was a young ballet student whom Edgar Degas often paid to model for his work. Her likeness is immortalized in Degas's "Little Dancer" sculpture, The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, in which she sports a jaunty, almost defiant pose and wears real clothing. The discomforting realism with which Degas portrayed her caused a stir when he originally unveiled the sculpture in wax at the 1881 Impressionist exhibition. Today, she's regarded as one of his most beloved sculptures of dancers. Visitors to The Met can admire a bronze edition of the "Little Dancer," cast in 1922. -
What materials make up Degas's "Little Dancer" sculpture?
Edgar Degas's original "Little Dancer" sculpture, known as The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, was made of wax and wore real clothing and a wig of human hair. The artist debuted the sculpture at the 1881 Impressionist exhibition, where critics and observers were appalled by its discomfortingly lifelike qualities. The "Little Dancer" sculpture at The Met was cast in bronze in 1922, and is enhanced with wood, silk satin, and cotton elements.
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Where is Degas's "Little Dancer" sculpture located in The Met Museum?
You can find Edgar Degas's little dancer sculpture, titled The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, on view in Gallery 815 at The Met. It belongs to the Museum's sizable holdings of works by Degas. The Met Museum has one of the most comprehensive collections of European sculpture and decorative arts in the world, with many other treasures by Degas on display, including bronze studies of ballerinas, bathers, and horses. -
Which Degas paintings are on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art?
In addition to the numerous sculptures and drawings in the Museum's comprehensive collection of works by Degas, there are several renowned paintings by the artist on view, including Young Woman with Ibis (1857–58; reworked 1860–62), The Dance Class (1874), and Dancers, Pink and Green (ca. 1890). -
The Met Store's frequently asked questions
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A major figure in 19th-century French art, Edgar Degas infused detailed scenes of everyday Parisian life — a meal at a café, dancers in class, nude models in the artist's studio, families enjoying a stroll in the park —with evocative colors and perspectives. Over a long and distinguished career, he created a body of work in many media that few others have matched. Now, art lovers can own exquisite items based on Degas' artworks found in The Met collection, available exclusively through The Met Store.