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Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas

Two Dancers

c. 1893–98
Pastel and charcoal, with stumping and burnishing, on tracing paper, pieced and laid down on cardboard
70.5 × 53.6 cm (27.8 × 21.1 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Edgar Degas recorded ballet dancers at rest and in motion in a variety of media, producing numerous drawings, paintings, prints, and sculptures. The subject enabled Degas to study the movement of the human form and the contortions of the body. In this pastel, the performers wait behind the curtains, in the wings of the stage, and bend at the waist, arms akimbo, in preparation for their next appearance.

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