The present exhibition of the complete collection of 74 bronze sculptures by one of France’s most talented artists, Edgar Degas, will be traveling throughout the world. These bronze figures representing dancers backstage, women at their toilette, women picking apples, sculptural portraits of women and horses, all demonstrate Degas passion for observation and are a fascinating study of the human and animal body.

Degas’ growing interest in photography contributed to his observing the anatomy of movement in space, as proved by his numerous horse sculptures and dancers in different postures and attitudes. His innovative approach can be seen best in his masterpiece The Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, dressed in real tutu and wearing a wig of human hair. This particular sculpture—a combination of the artist’s naturalistic technique and psychological insight—caused a great sensation when exhibited for the first time in Paris in 1881.