Portret van een vrouw

1855

Meets Ingres; the École des Beaux-Arts

In 1855 Degas met Ingres, whom he revered, and was advised to draw lines and still more lines, from life and from memory. In April of that year he was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied drawing with Lamothe.

1862–1864

Meets Édouard Manet

Manet introduced Degas to the circle of future Impressionists. Degas shared their rejection of the academic Salon but would not work in the open air.

1870

A volunteer in the war; a flaw in his eyesight

When the Franco-Prussian War broke out Degas volunteered; at the first shooting practice it turned out that he saw poorly with his right eye. It was the first sign of the macular degeneration that left him almost blind at the end of his life; he was transferred to the artillery and served there to the end of the war.

ottobre 1872 – marzo 1873 · Residenza

New Orleans

1873–1874

His brother's debts: he sells his house and collection

After his father's death Degas learned that his brother René had run up enormous business debts. To save the family's reputation he sold his house and an inherited art collection and for the first time in his life depended on sales of his own work.

1874

The first Impressionist exhibition

Disenchanted with the Salon, Degas joined a group of young artists organizing an independent exhibiting society. He took a leading role in organizing the eight shows of 1874–1886 and exhibited in all but one, despite constant conflicts with the group.