Died: 27th September 1917 (aged 83 years)

Bio: The son of a wealthy banking family. A temperamental and uncompromising man he was known as a perfectionist and was something of an outsider in the artistic world he inhabited. 

Having studied at the famous Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Degas then went to Italy for five years, meticulously copying and studying the old masters of the Renaissance. 

He drew inspiration from the world of entertainment and later from everyday life. Ballet dancers, little ballerinas, women in intimate situations and horse races are the subjects that are generally associated with him.

During 1865 to1870 Degas exhibited each year at the Paris Salon. He was friendly with Berthe Morisot and Edouard Manet. During the summer of 1869, Degas joined Manet in Boulogne and Saint-Valery-en-Caux where he painted some landscapes. Of all the artists of the period, it is clear that he had a great affinity with Manet.

In 1872 he traveled to New Orleans where relatives were involved in the Cotton Trade and it was at this time that he completed The Cotton Office which was acquired in 1878 by the Musee des Beaux-Arts at Pau for 2,000 Francs.

During the last twenty-years of his life, Degas was virtually blind and lived a reclusive life.