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Introduction

Edgar Degas

Six Friends at Dieppe
September 16, 2005 - January 15, 2006

In the late summer of 1885 Edgar Degas (1834-1917) traveled north from Paris to join his friends for a seaside holiday. His destination was Dieppe, a picturesque town on the Normandy coast. While relaxing with the family of writer Ludovic Halévy, he created a large pastel drawing of six male figures. They included Halévy and his young son Daniel; the painters Henri Gervex, Jacques-Émile Blanche, and Walter Sickert; and "a man of taste," Albert Boulanger-Cavé. This exhibition reveals the story of Six Friends at Dieppe, a remarkable group portrait that represents a unique performance of art and friendship.
The fishing port of Dieppe on the Normandy coast of France became a popular vacation spot in the early years of the nineteenth century. Within easy access from Paris by train, it could also be reached by the steamers that crossed the English Channel. Dieppe's transformation into a chic watering place began in the 1820s under the patronage of Caroline, Duchesse de Berry, who encouraged the construction of fashionable bathing huts and a public spa. By mid-century the first of Dieppe's casinos buzzed with activity and the wide stretch of land to the west of the port gave way to an avenue of grand hotels and a broad promenade. The beachfront was further enhanced when Dieppe was discovered by the court of Emperor Louis-Napoléon III, which prompted Empress Eugénie to design grassy lawns for leisurely strolls and sporting activities. By 1885, the third version of the casino, a Moorish fantasy, was already under construction, and the town's summer colony boasted a fascinating mix of artists, writers, and international society.

Selected Objects

Eugène Isabey

Retour au Port, 1833

Eugène Isabey

Environs de Dieppe, 1833

Jean Baptiste Antoine Guillemet

The Cliffs at Dieppe, ca. 1889

Eugène Delacroix

Turk Resting, Watched by His Horse, 1824

Edgar Degas

Before the Race, ca. 1885

Edgar Degas, designer

Standing Nude Woman, Dressing, 1890

Edgar Degas

Four Jockeys on Horseback, ca. 1885-1887

Edgar Degas

Dancer with a Bouquet, ca. 1877-1880

Eugène Louis Boudin

Figures on a Beach, ca. 1863

Paul Gavarni

Dieppe, 1835

Gustave Moreau

Hésiode (Hesiod), early 1880s

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Portrait of Thomas-Charles Naudet, 1806

Edgar Degas

Six Friends at Dieppe, 1885

Edgar Degas

Horse, ca. 1865

Edgar Degas

On Stage III, 1876-1877

Charles Lapostolet

View of Dieppe, 1800s

Edgar Degas

Grand Arabesque, Second Time, ca. 1885-1890 (cast ca. 1919–1922)

Edgar Degas

Two Jockeys, ca. 1880-1890

Georges Seurat

At the Gaîté Rochechouart (Café-concert), ca. 1887-1888

Edgar Degas

Ballet Girl, ca. 1886-1888

Jacques-Émile Blanche

Portrait of Virginia Woolf, 1927

Edgar Degas

Two Seated Women, ca. 1878

Claude Monet

The Seine Near its Estuary, Honfleur, ca. 1868

Edgar Degas

Jockey with Red Cap, ca. 1866-1868

Eugène Louis Boudin

The Port at Trouville, 1889

Edgar Degas

La Savoisienne, ca. 1860

Ludovic Halévy, author

La Famille Cardinal, 1938

French

Album Felix Potin, 500 Célébrités contemporaines, ca. 1900

Frits Thaulow

The Main Square, Montreuil (La Grande Place, Montreuil), 1894

Edgar Degas

monotype, ca. 1876-1877

Henri Gervex

The Coal Porter (sketch for Mairie, 19th arrondissement, Paris), ca. 1882

Walter Barnes

The Halévy Family and their Friends, 1885

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Edgar Degas : Six Friends at Dieppe

September 16, 2005 - January 15, 2006
View Checklist PDF

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