Manet/Degas

This exhibition examines one of the most significant artistic dialogues in modern art history: the close and sometimes tumultuous relationship between Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas. Born only two years apart, Manet (1832–1883) and Degas (1834–1917) were friends, rivals, and, at times, antagonists who worked to define modern painting in France. By examining their careers in parallel and presenting their work side by side, this exhibition investigates how their artistic objectives and approaches both overlapped and diverged.​​

Through more than 150 paintings and works on paper, Manet/Degas takes a fresh look at the interactions of these two artists in the context of the family relationships, friendships, and intellectual circles that influenced their artistic and professional choices, deepening our understanding of a key moment in nineteenth-century French painting. ​

The exhibition is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

Image:  Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Seated, Holding His Hat (detail), ca. 1865. Graphite and black chalk on wove (China) paper. Rogers Fund, 1918 (19.51.7)