Born in Paris in 1834, Edgar Degas art was considered radical in\nhis adoption of modern subject matter and he was to become a key\nfigure in the evolution of modern art. Degas: The Uncontested\nMaster covers the period from Degas early portraiture and\nhistorical subject matter of the 1870s through his move to modern\nsubject matter, to his late experimental paintings and photographs\nfrom the 1890s until his death in 1917. Degas exhibited with a\ngroup of other young artists who came to be known as the\nImpressionists, but he was seen to stand apart from them in his\ntreatment and choice of subjects. The book includes work from the\nmany mediums Degas used painting, sculpture, printing, pastels\nmonotypes and photography and his favourite subjects: the ballet,\nthe opera, the racetrack, women in bordellos and bathing, milliners\nand laundresses. It conveys the richness of colour and Degas\nexperimental approach with his mediums. A major essay by curator\nJane Kinsman looks at Degas role in organising the first\nImpressionist exhibitions and the break from the traditions of the\nSalon, quoting prominent critics of the time. The second major\nessay, by internationally renowned Degas expert Michael Pantazzi,\npresents a detailed biography of Degas with many new facts never\nbefore published.

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