The WPI is pleased to welcome Edgar Degas: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings and Works on Paper to its roster of digital projects. The research for this ongoing endeavor aims to incorporate new findings, links to foundational research resources, and contemporary scholarship to address issues related to the artist’s production of paintings and works on paper.
Known for his insightful and intimate depictions of modern life, Degas is one of the most celebrated draftsmen among the Impressionists artists. This new critical investigation of his oeuvre is the first of its kind to be presented in a dynamic, digital format.
Teresa Krasny, Director of OpAL Art Ltd., initiated this important project in 2021 to update and amend the catalogue raisonné first published in 1946 by P.A. Lemoisne and the 1984 supplement by Theodore Reff and Philippe Brame. Under Krasny’s editorial direction with researchers Danielle Smith, Ph.D, and Maria Matea, OpAL released the first installment of the digital catalogue in September 2024, featuring works currently in British and Irish public collections. This first digital release provides new and significant information on these pictures, and accounts for 5 percent of the works to be catalogued for this endeavor.
“I am delighted to entrust the future of this vital project to WPI whose extensive research capabilities and dedication to digitalising archival material will ensure this artist’s legacy,” Krasny said about the project’s transfer to its new custodians.
As the WPI now assumes responsibility over the project, our team will continue studying the artist’s extensive oeuvre and update the listing periodically. For the time being, we will not be considering any submissions from private individuals or issuing opinions on works in private collections. Explore Edgar Degas: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings and Works on Paper now on wpi.art.
More resources
The Ambroise Vollard Records comprises gallery records, estate records, and photographic reproductions of artworks, including over 580 photographic reproductions of paintings, studies, and sculptures by Edgar Degas. Wherever possible, the reproductions are identified with their cataloguing numbers from Paul-André Lemoisne, Degas et son oeuvre (5 vol.; 1947-1949, 1984), Jean Adhémar & Françoise Cachin, Edgar Degas, gravures et monotypes (1973), and Dover Publications’, Degas’ drawings (1973).
Photographic reproductions of Edgar Degas’ work can also be found in the Galerie Étienne Bignou Photo Archive alongside other great 19th and 20th-century artists including Honoré Daumier, Jean Lurçat, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and George Seurat.
The Letters of Edgar Degas, ed. by eminent Degas scholar Theodore Reff, comprises more than 1,200 letters written by the artist. Featuring an English translation of the artist’s original letters, extensive annotations and appendixes, and an engaging introduction, this is an indispensable reference for scholars and specialists of Edgar Degas as well as anyone interested in French Impressionism and nineteenth-century art. The Letters of Edgar Degas is distributed for the Wildenstein Plattner Institute by Penn State University Press.