The Degas Plasters
Groundbreaking revelations about Degas' sculpture and the Hébrard bronzes
In 1955 seventy-four original plasters recording sculptures by Edgar Degas (1834-1917) were moved to the old Valsuani foundry in Paris only to reappear in France in 2004.
These plasters are now being published for the first time, presenting new documentary and physical evidence regarding their dating following an in-depth analysis into the condition of Degas's waxes at the time of his death. Technical and documentary evidence now proves that as many as half of the serialised 'Hebrard' Degas bronzes now held in museum and private collections around the world were in fact cast at the Valsuani foundry in the 1950s and 1960s — long after the Hebrard foundry closed in 1935/36. All of the now cleaned 74 Degas plasters are recorded in full colour illustrations. The detailed appendix, which can be accessed via a QR code, provides additional information on the objects and is designed as a scholarly catalogue raisonne.
Gregory Hedberg is a noted authority on European art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with a particular focus on the creative process of artists. He has published articles and organised museum exhibitions on the creative practice of Michelangelo, Millet, Albert Moore, Léger, and Degas.
In his long and distinguished career, Dr. Hedberg has held fellowships and curatorships in several important museums, including The Frick Collection, the Minne-apolis Institute of Art, and the Wadsworth Atheneum. Before retiring, Dr. Hedberg was Director of European Art at Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York from 1992 until 2021.
