Edgar DegasFrench, 1834–1917Dancer in the Role of Harlequin
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
National Gallery of Art
Room4 · West Building, Ground FloorWashington, D.C., United States
On public display.
- Checked
- 4 hours ago
- In this state since
- Aug 19, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1999.80.25
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- National Gallery of Art: the museum's own open data · fetched 4 days ago
- Image: National Gallery of Art — Museum open access
Meanwhile, in the life of Edgar Degas
The whole lifeby 1882
His eyesight sharply worsens
By 1882 Degas's eyesight began to worsen sharply: he turned to pastel and then to sculpture, where he could rely more on touch.
1886
The eighth exhibition: pastel nudes, and the end of the group
At the last Impressionist exhibition Degas showed a suite of pastel nudes, which drew more critical writing than anything else in his lifetime, mostly laudatory. The group broke up, partly through rancour over the inclusion of non-Impressionists such as Forain and Raffaëlli.
after 1886
Into the shadows: he stops exhibiting
After 1886 Degas stopped exhibiting and sold his pictures at high prices through a narrow circle of agents. By the end of the decade he had in effect fulfilled his wish to be “famous and unknown”, withdrawing among close friends.
late 1880s
A passion for photography
Degas photographed his friends, often by lamplight, as in the double portrait of Renoir and Mallarmé. Photographs of dancers and nudes served as references for his drawings and paintings.
![Scenes from the Passion of Christ: The Descent into Limbo [right panel], Andrea Vanni, 1380s](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/4205a539-eadd-4486-89a7-3cff9c1ba428/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
