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Edgar Degas
Family Portrait (The Bellelli Family), 1858–60
Oil on canvas, 79 1/8 × 98 1/4 in. (201 × 249.5 cm)
Musée d’Orsay, Paris

Degas’s Family Portrait, depicting his aunt Laure Bellelli, her daughters, and her husband, is without question the masterpiece of his first decade as a painter. The majesty of its scale, its profound dignity, the sophistication of its composition, the extraordinary elegance of its execution, and above all the singularity of its psychological mood, which seems to tell a story—together these elements make the painting intensely moving and memorable.

Click on the image to see the full painting.

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This exhibition is organized by the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, with gratitude for exceptional loans from the collection of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Education programs during Faces of Impressionism: Portraits from the Musée d’Orsay are supported by Neiman Marcus' Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation.


Unless otherwise noted, all images are property of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, and
© RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY
.
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