degas

  • How did Edgar Degas create ‘A Cotton Office in New Orleans’?
    Art History • Artworks under the lens • Famous faces • Featured
    How did Edgar Degas create ‘A Cotton Office in New Orleans’?

    A Cotton Office in New Orleans is a seminal piece by impressionist artist Edgar Degas. On a trip to New Orleans in 1872, Degas was inspired to produce the piece after visiting the cotton office of his brother. The artwork, which mixes portraiture and genre art, is one of the most important portrayals of 18th century capitalism, and was the…

  • Stolen Art:  The Strange History of Art Heists
    Art History • Art news • Featured
    Stolen Art: The Strange History of Art Heists

    Although the term ‘art history’ hardly evokes the image of masked bandits breaking into a museum, art theft has always played an important role in the art world. Art is stolen for many reasons. Sometimes for wealth, sometimes for power, sometimes for love and nostalgia. Whatever the reason, when a piece of art is stolen, the act of theft often…