The Catalogue Raisonné: Research and Expertise

1^st digital catalogue raisonné

This catalogue raisonné presents nearly 1700 paintings and pastels by Degas, enriched with 3300 exhibitions listed since 1865, with a rigorous scientific approach and the latest discoveries.

This catalogue builds upon previous works and publications, the four Degas sales of 1918-1919 (classified by paintings, pastels, and drawings), Paul-André Lemoisne's 1946 catalogue, and Philippe Brame and Theodore Reff's 1984 supplement.
The corpus of paintings and pastels presented here will ultimately include approximately 1700 works from public and private collections. Each is presented with its photograph, technical information, history, exhibitions, and bibliography, which holds an essential place here. For public collections, each work links to the museum to which it belongs. As for exhibitions where Degas displayed one or more works, we have counted 3300 from 1865 to the present day.

The immense contribution of Philippe Brame and Theodore Reff to the knowledge of Degas must be highlighted here, as well as that of other Degas specialists: Jean Adhémar, Jean S. Boggs, Richard Brettell, Lillian Browse, Françoise Cachin, Ann Dumas, Douglas Druick, Richard Kendall, Henri Loyrette, Anne Pingeot, Anne Roquebert, George Shackelford, Barbara Shapiro, Richard Thomson and Gary Tinterow.
Regarding Philippe Brame and Theodore Reff's 1984 supplement, we include some works with additional information after that date. We clearly mark by [BR] their contributions before 1984, thus recognizing their authorship of information.

The choice of digital

The Digital Choice

Degas in Numbers in Public and Private Collections

- In worldwide public collections: 49% of the total corpus. The United States leads with 24%, followed by France with 8%, predominantly in the Musée d'Orsay. Next are the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, and Japan.
- In private collections: 22% of the total corpus.
- We also deliberately publish approximately 200 works not located by Lemoisne that remain unlocated.

The Selected Themes

A classification never before done: 8 themes represent the essence of Degas's work through his paintings and pastels: Dancers (35%); bathers (19%); portraits (25%); equestrian scenes (7%); music (2%); landscapes (7%); working women (2%); others (3%).
The digital catalogue's search engine now allows access to all this data and enables cross-referencing by themes, dates, supports, dimensions, techniques, signatures, and stamps.

The Main Techniques Used

- Pastels top the list of Degas's works with 1163 pieces, approximately 68%, mainly between 1880 and 1900.
- Oil paintings with 533 works, or 31%, including about 300 between 1870 and 1890.
The complexity of technical mixtures often attempted by Degas makes counting them sometimes difficult to report. Examples include pastels enhanced with charcoal or pastels on monotype that we wanted to publish here. In our eyes, these are the most beautiful and seductive works of the artist.

The Supports Used

We knew that Degas favored working on paper, whose technical benefits (speed of execution, drying) he began to appreciate, but also the financial interest, especially in the British art market. Contrary to what has sometimes been read, he did not abandon painting after the major shift in the mid-1870s. Undoubtedly, he then experienced more difficulty painting and consequently fulfilling commissions. Pastel and paper better corresponded to the problems he encountered, including the onset of blindness, which was not the least of his challenges. Leading the supports:
- Paper: 936 works, or 55%;
- Canvases: 471 works, or 28%;
- Cardboards: 56 works, or 3%;
- Tracing paper: 57 works, or 3%;
- Panels: 61 works, or 4%.
Results that highlight Degas's growing interest in varied and innovative pictorial experiments.

Between Stamps and Signatures: Other Revelations

Related Works

Related works will be added later. See example MS-748.

What Our Dating Confirms

Through the digital critical catalogue, it appears that Degas was clearly most active between 1880 and 1900, with 993 works, 58% of the studied corpus.
- Themes by dates:
- The 422 dancers and 287 bathers executed between 1880 and 1900;
- The period from 1880 to 1900 truly marks the apex of Degas's work.
After 1900, his work slowed down and stopped around 1907, probably due to his blindness. According to our figures, works on paper dominate, with works on canvas following relatively far behind. This clearly shows Degas's fondness for this medium. We have already given the reasons.

And Tomorrow?

We hope that our work can serve other researchers. As for us, we still need to complete the files with information from art gallery account books, numerous sales catalogues, and exhibitions.

Multiple aspects of Degas's work are emerging today. Let us not doubt that this work, never done before, which marks a major step in our knowledge of Degas's work and its history, can now become the reference on this artist. The digital critical catalogue of Degas will thus contribute to advancing our knowledge of an artist who profoundly marked the history of French painting.

Acknowledgments

I thank all those who helped and encouraged me:

I thank all the museums that graciously granted me the right to publish their photo(s). I also thank the libraries and research centers that welcomed and helped me: