Ukrainian Dancers is a theme series of pastels by Edgar Degas depicting Ukrainian women performing folk dances. Degas created these drawings during the 1890s and early 1900s.
Degas used the name "Les danseuses russes" ("Russian [female] dancers") and it was known under this name in English and French sources, despite vast ethnographic and art historical evidence for the Ukrainian origin of the women
There were a number of voices calling for changing the misleading "Russian" name, criticizing it as "deliberate or just lazy misinterpretation" of Ukraine for many years. These calls intensified with the beginning of Russian invasion in Ukraine in February 2022. The increased focus prompted London's National Gallery to rename a drawing from its collection Ukrainian dancers in April 2022.Valentina Di Liscia. London's National Gallery Renames Degas's "Russian Dancers" as "Ukrainian Dancers". Hyperallergic, April 5, 2022
In February 2023 Metropolitan Museum changed the name of one of the pastels to Dancers in the Ukrainian dress after calls from Ukrainian representatives including an art historian and journalist.Музей Метрополітен перейменував російських танцівниць на українських. Vogue.ua, Feb 8, 2023Met renames Degas's Russian Dancers and recognize Kuindzhi as Ukrainian artist. global.espreso.tv, 9 February, 2023 As of May 2023 in the National Museum of Stockholm another work from the series was changed to Three Dancers in Ukrainian Dress.Óscar Gutiérrez. Moscow loses a cultural battle as Degas’ ‘Russian dancers’ recognized as Ukrainian El Pais, May 31, 2023
Pastels There are at least 18 pastels and sketches of Ukrainian dancers created by Degas, mostly in the second half of the 1890s.
Lisa Bixenstine classifies them as 6 finished pastels, 4 unfinished ones, and 8 sketches.
ArtworkYearTechniqueCanvas(cm)CatalogueCollectionReference1894pastel54 x 34MS 390private collectionDanseuses russes. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1895pastel and charcoal48 x 67MS 392private collectionRussian Dancers. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1895-1899tracing paper, pastel, charcoal62 x 67MS 383Nationalmuseum (Stockholm, Sweden)Three Russian Dancers. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1898pastel and charcoal73 x 59MS 389private collectionRussian Dancers. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1898Pastel, charcoal and black chalk on paper mounted on cardboard67 x 57MS 394Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, United States)Russian Dancer. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1899tracing paper, pastel, charcoal62,2 x 62,9MS 384Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, United States)Russian Dancers. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1899paper, pastel62,9 x 64,7MS 385Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, United States)Russian Dancers. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1899tracing paper, pastel, charcoal61,9 x 45,7MS 387Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, United States)Russian dancer. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1899pastel58,4 x 76,2MS 391private collectionDanseuses russes. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1899Pastel and charcoal on 5 sheets of paper mounted on cardboard73 x 59,1MS 393, MS 1845National Gallery (London, Great Britain)Russian Dancers . The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.Russian Dancers. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1899tracing paper, pastel, charcoal59,3 x 38MS 1533private collectionDanseuse russe. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.1900-1905paper, pastel, charcoal98,3 x 75,5MS 1204private collectionThree Russian Dancers. The online critical catalogue of paintings and pastels by Edgar Degas by Michel Schulman.с. 1899paper, pastel, charcoal63 x 60,8 private collectionImpressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale/Lot 5. Sotheby's1900-1905paper, pastel, charcoal54 x 71,1 private collection Live Auction 1429. Impressionist and Modern Art (Evening Sale). Christie's
References
Sources
Literature Richard Kendall and Jill DeVonyar. Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement. Exhibition catalog, Royal Academy of Arts. London, 2011, pp. 19, 227, 229–31, 237 David Bomford et al. in Art in the Making: Degas. Exhibition catalog, National Gallery. London, 2004