What happened to Edgar Degas’s artworks after his death?

After Edgar Degas died in 1917, the vast extent of his artistic output was revealed to the public through a series of major sales held in Paris in 1918 and 1919. These auctions brought thousands of previously unexhibited works on paper and canvas to the art market, some of which surprised even his most dedicated admirers due to their less naturalistic style.1

These sales also highlighted the breadth of Degas’s own collection, which included significant works by artists such as El Greco, Ingres, Delacroix, Manet, Gauguin, and Cézanne. Additionally, the early 1920s saw the unveiling of the first posthumous bronze casts of his sculptures, which provided a further revelation regarding his technical achievements to the art world in both Europe and the United States.1