Edgar Degas at The Met Store

The Met houses one of the world's most comprehensive collections of the work of Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917), including sculptures, paintings, and drawings that reflect the artist’s affinity for such subjects as dancers, bathers, and horses.

Though he was a founding figure of the group known as the Impressionists, Degas never formally aligned himself with the movement; rather, he considered himself a “Realist” or an “Independent.” Like the Impressionists, he captured fleeting, atmospheric moments of contemporary 19th-century French life. But unlike his peers, he had little interest in landscapes, preferring artificially lit scenes depicting the habitués of theaters, cafes, and shops.

It’s for his portrayals of ballet dancers that Degas is perhaps best known. His fixation on the subject intensified in the 1870s, and he eventually produced some 1,500 works observing the physicality, discipline, and movement of dancers in various poses, a number of which are in the Museum’s holdings.

Below, shop decor, accessories, and kids’ gifts inspired by Degas.

The Met Store is fortunate to offer sculpture reproductions boasting a direct lineage to Degas’s original work. This is due in large part to the generosity of Louisine Havemeyer, one of The Met’s most illustrious 20th-century patrons, who in 1922 bought an entire series of small bronze figures that were cast from models made by Degas—and then in 1929, bestowed all but two of these precious bronzes upon the Museum.

Degas created these small figures as a private means of exploring subjects that interested him, while investigating and capturing movement in three dimensions. The collection of more than 150 models, originally formed by the artist’s own hands out of wax, clay, and plastiline, was found in Degas’s studio after his death on September 27, 1917. Degas’s heirs authorized a posthumous series of bronze editions to be cast from 72 of these small figures, which was completed in Paris before May 1921.

Our Little Dancer Sculpture, Dancer Sculpture, Dancer with Raised Right Foot Sculpture, and Spanish Dancer Sculpture, each based on an original artwork at the Museum, exemplify the artist’s fascination with figures in motion.

Display these sculpture reproductions on your coffee table or bookshelf alongside Manet/Degas, a richly illustrated publication presented in celebration of the Museum’s exhibition of the same name. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue from September 24, 2023, through January 7, 2024, Manet/Degas examined one of the most significant artistic dialogues in modern art history: the close and sometimes tumultuous relationship between Degas and his peer Édouard Manet. Born only two years apart, the two artists were friends, rivals, and, at times, antagonists who worked to define modern painting in France.

For the wall, exhibit a Degas of your very own with Met Custom Prints. Read our blog post here to learn more about how to order Met masterpieces for your home or office space.

Staying in? Enjoy our Degas: Impressions Double-Sided Puzzle. This 1,000-piece puzzle comes together to reveal two paintings by Degas in The Met collection: A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (1865) and The Dance Class (1874).  

The Dance Class is one of four depictions of dancers likewise represented in our Degas Dancer Coasters, the perfect host or hostess gift, and an artful way to elevate your living space.

Enjoy a Met masterpiece wherever you go with our Degas Dance Class Tote, also available as a canvas pouch with a zip closure. 

Meet Miffy and Melanie, two adorable little rabbits from Dutch author and illustrator Dick Bruna's beloved children's book series. These cuddly crocheted bunnies wear a tutu and dance shoes like Degas's graceful ballerinas in The Dance Class (1874). Each 100% cotton Miffy toy from Just Dutch is handcrafted by workers with disabilities in Vietnam, where profits help disadvantaged women maintain a stable income.

A wonderful gift for the budding art lover in your life, What the Artist Saw: Edgar Degas belongs to a charming illustrated series that considers what inspired famous artists, and encourages creativity. In this book, young readers can get to know Degas, who so skillfully recorded his impressions of modern life.

For ages 3 and older, this eco-friendly suitcase playset opens to reveal a two-story dance studio complete with colorful wooden characters, much like the ones depicted by Degas. 

Shop our full collection of Degas-inspired items in-store and online.

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