First published 1996
Edgar Degas stands in his cluttered Montmartre studio, surrounded by canvases that belong to other artists. The famous painter of ballerinas and horse races has spent decades acquiring works by his contemporaries and predecessors. Degas examines each piece with the eye of both creator and connoisseur, seeing techniques and secrets that escape ordinary viewers. His collection reveals unexpected passions and artistic influences that shaped his own revolutionary approach to movement and light. As he ages and his eyesight fails, these gathered treasures become more precious than his own work. MacGregor constructs an intimate portrait of artistic obsession, showing how one master's private acquisitions illuminate the hidden connections between great painters across generations.
Genres: biography, art, collections, 20th-century, 19th-century, art-history
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study
Setting: Montmartre
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
Paperback · Apollo Magazine