When we think of Edgar Degas, we tend to think of dancers. The French Impressionist loved musculature in motion, which is why he also drew and painted racehorses. And then there is his painting Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando. Featured at the Fourth Impressionist Exhibition in Paris, in 1879, the year it was created, it is Degas’s only depiction of a person of color: Anne Albertine Olga Brown (1858–1945), better known as France’s famous circus artist Miss La La. Now owned by the National Gallery in London, the painting is the focus of an exhibition that uncovers its fascinating backstory. Included in the show are Degas’s never-before-seen sketches of Miss La La as well as unpublished photographs of her. —Lucy Horowitz
The Arts Intel Report
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
Discover Degas & Miss La La
![](https://photos.airmail.news/g3mjzq657xn4ud6kt84dhia4vqni-d73d97301e4f6852f5bf8bc04b14e5b4.png)
Edgar Degas, Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando, 1879.
When
Until Sept 1
Where
Etc
Photo: © The National Gallery, London