Edgar Degas (1834–1917) was a French painter, sculptor and printmaker, a founder of the Impressionist movement who preferred to call himself a Realist. He is celebrated above all for his unrivalled command of human movement.

Drawn repeatedly to dancers, the racecourse and intimate scenes of modern life, Degas combined daring composition and unconventional vantage points with a draughtsman's discipline. His pastels and oils remain among the most admired achievements of nineteenth-century French art.