Two Dancers on a Stage
Maker
(Artists)
1834-1917
1834-1917
Title
Two Dancers on a Stage
Date of Production
1874
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Height: 61.5 cm (canvas)
Width: 46 cm (canvas)
Width: 46 cm (canvas)
Accession Number
P.1932.SC.89
Mode of Acquisition
Samuel Courtauld, gift, 1932
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Location
On display
Keywords
Label Text
Edgar Degas was fascinated by ballet, producing over a thousand works on the subject. While this work appears to depict a performance, the presence of a third ballerina at rest indicates it may in fact be a dress rehearsal, to which Degas was often granted access.
The painting’s side view is unconventional. It is as if we are observing from a box at the edge of the stage. The lines on the floor, which may represent tracks for sliding scenery, emphasise Degas’s dynamic composition while evoking the staging of ballet.
The painting’s side view is unconventional. It is as if we are observing from a box at the edge of the stage. The lines on the floor, which may represent tracks for sliding scenery, emphasise Degas’s dynamic composition while evoking the staging of ballet.
Provenance
Captain Henry Hill, Brighton, by 1874; Hill Sale, Christie's, 25 May 1889 (lot 31) purchased Goupil; Victor Desfossés; sold by Desfossés 4 November 1889, to Goupil-Boussod & Valadon successeurs; Goupil- Boussod & Valadon successeurs, sold 13 November 1899 to Paul Gaillmard, Paris; Alex Reid, Glasgow; Sir James Murray, Aberdeen, sold Christie’s, 29 April 1927 (lot 41); M. Knoedler & Co., London; purchased by Samuel Courtauld, June 1927; Courtauld Gift, 1932
Exhibition History
Degas and Britain, Burrell Collection, Glasgow, 24/05/2024-30/09/2024
Masterpieces of Impressionism from The Courtauld Gallery, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, 10/09/2019-15/12/2019; Aichi Prefectural Museum, Nagoya, Japan, 03/01/2020-15/03/2020; Kobe City Museum, Kobe, Japan, 28/03/2020-21/06/2020
The Courtauld Collection. A Vision for Impressionism, Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris, 20/02/2019-17/06/2019 ...More
Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cezanne, National Gallery, London, 17/09/2018-20/01/2019
Courtauld Connects Regional Programme (Pilot) - Degas' Dancers, Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry, 11/03/2016-19/06/2016
Degas Dancers - Eye and Camera, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 17/09/2011-11/12/2011
Impressionism and Scotland, National Gallery of Scotland & Edinburgh & Scotland, 19/07/2008-12/10/2008
Degas, Sickert and Toulouse-Lautrec, Tate Britain, London, 05/10/2005-15/01/2006
Degas and the Dance, Philadelphia Museum of Art & Philadelphia & USA, 16/02/2003-11/05/2003
The Courtauld Collection: Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 14/06/1998-21/09/1998
The Courtauld Collection, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, 26/12/1997-12/05/1998
Degas/Lautrec, Museum Boijmans, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1947 ...Less
Masterpieces of Impressionism from The Courtauld Gallery, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, 10/09/2019-15/12/2019; Aichi Prefectural Museum, Nagoya, Japan, 03/01/2020-15/03/2020; Kobe City Museum, Kobe, Japan, 28/03/2020-21/06/2020
The Courtauld Collection. A Vision for Impressionism, Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris, 20/02/2019-17/06/2019 ...More
Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cezanne, National Gallery, London, 17/09/2018-20/01/2019
Courtauld Connects Regional Programme (Pilot) - Degas' Dancers, Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry, 11/03/2016-19/06/2016
Degas Dancers - Eye and Camera, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 17/09/2011-11/12/2011
Impressionism and Scotland, National Gallery of Scotland & Edinburgh & Scotland, 19/07/2008-12/10/2008
Degas, Sickert and Toulouse-Lautrec, Tate Britain, London, 05/10/2005-15/01/2006
Degas and the Dance, Philadelphia Museum of Art & Philadelphia & USA, 16/02/2003-11/05/2003
The Courtauld Collection: Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 14/06/1998-21/09/1998
The Courtauld Collection, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, 26/12/1997-12/05/1998
Degas/Lautrec, Museum Boijmans, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1947 ...Less
Literature
The Courtauld Collection: Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1998
Inscriptions
Inscription: inscription : signed : bottom left : : Degas
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