Edgar Degas loved ballet. He dedicated himself to over 200 paintings of ballerinas – predominantly behind the scenes, interestingly enough. Today is his birthday. He was born on July 19, 1834, in Paris. | DW Euromaxx

Edgar Degas’ sculpture "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen" is known the world over. 🩰 But did you know that this original wax version, which belongs to the National Gallery of Art, was once reviled by most critics when it was exhibited in Paris in 1881? One outraged contemporary, Paul Mantz, even wrote: "One hears fathers cry: 'God forbid my daughter should become a dancer'." 🤔 Modeled in colored wax and adorned with real hair and a fabric costume, “Little Dancer” decisively broke with 19th-century