Wikimedia Commons • Public Domain
The Cafe Concert
by Edgar Degas, 1875
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1875
Cite or Embed This Work
APA · MLA · Chicago1-click academic citation and embeddable “On View” museum badge for articles, syllabi, and research.
Edgar Degas captured the vibrant atmosphere of a Parisian café-concert in this work from around 1877. A female performer in a bright dress stands out amid the crowd, fan in hand, while the audience gathers in the gas-lit interior.
Café-concerts were popular entertainment venues in late 19th-century Paris, combining food, drink, and musical performances. Degas created numerous works depicting these spaces, drawn to the dramatic interplay of artificial light and spontaneous human gesture. His Impressionist technique captures the fleeting energy of live performance with rapid, sketchy brushwork that suggests movement rather than defining it precisely.
More by Edgar Degas
View all →
Also at Private Collection
View all →
Related Works
Works that share an artist, movement, museum, genre, palette or theme with The Cafe Concert.
- Same artist
- Same movement
Dancer with a Fan
Edgar Degas
- Same artist
- Same movement
Dance Opera
Edgar Degas
- Same artist
- Same movement
Dancer in Her Dressing Room
Edgar Degas
- Same movement
- Same museum
Fillette à la corbeille fleurie
Pablo Picasso, 1905
- Same movement
- Same museum
Garçon à la pipe (Boy with a Pipe)
Pablo Picasso, 1905
- Same movement
- Same museum
Le bassin aux nymphéas
Claude Monet, 1919
- Same movement
- Same museum
Meules (Haystacks)
Claude Monet, 1890
- Same movement
The Fifer
Édouard Manet, 1866
- Same movement
Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1876
- Same movement
Luncheon of the Boating Party
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1881
- Same movement
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
Édouard Manet, 1882
- Same movement
The Balcony
Édouard Manet, 1869
About The Cafe Concert
Café-concerts were popular entertainment venues in late 19th-century Paris, combining food and drink service with musical performances. They were a favorite subject of Impressionist painters attracted to their lively atmosphere and artificial lighting.
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was a founding member of the Impressionist movement. Known for his paintings of dancers, he also captured Parisian entertainment venues, horse races, and scenes of modern urban life.
Degas often worked in pastel for his café-concert scenes, allowing rapid, spontaneous strokes that captured the energy of live performance. His compositions frequently feature unusual angles and cropped figures, influenced by photography and Japanese prints.
Own Art Like This
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
Browse Collection