Discover Degas & Miss La La by Anne Robbins
The extraordinary story behind Degass groundbreaking painting of the African-American circus performer Miss La La.
Edgar Degass Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando (1879) is one of only two paintings by the artist representing people of colour. Miss La La, born AnnaAlbertine Olga Brown to a white Prussian mother and African-American father, was a renowned performer of extraordinary daring in fin-de-siecle Paris.
Exploring the fascinating story behind Degass painting, this is the first in-depth study to focus on the sitters identity, presenting new research on her life and career, as well as unpublished photographic material tracing her tour across Europe. The book also analyses the genesis of Degass work, from his rapid sketches completed on the spot to his more elaborate preparatory drawings and pastels.
The son of a Creole mother from New Orleans, Degas travelled to Louisiana in 187273, which was to have a lasting impact on his art. This book examines the artists complex attitudes to ethnicity in relation to his own family background, and the representation of multiracial people in late nineteenth-century France.
Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press
Exhibition Schedule:
National Gallery, London
(June 6September 1, 2024)
Edgar Degass Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando (1879) is one of only two paintings by the artist representing people of colour. Miss La La, born AnnaAlbertine Olga Brown to a white Prussian mother and African-American father, was a renowned performer of extraordinary daring in fin-de-siecle Paris.
Exploring the fascinating story behind Degass painting, this is the first in-depth study to focus on the sitters identity, presenting new research on her life and career, as well as unpublished photographic material tracing her tour across Europe. The book also analyses the genesis of Degass work, from his rapid sketches completed on the spot to his more elaborate preparatory drawings and pastels.
The son of a Creole mother from New Orleans, Degas travelled to Louisiana in 187273, which was to have a lasting impact on his art. This book examines the artists complex attitudes to ethnicity in relation to his own family background, and the representation of multiracial people in late nineteenth-century France.
Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press
Exhibition Schedule:
National Gallery, London
(June 6September 1, 2024)