Degas exhibit at New Orleans home where he lived

Degas exhibit at New Orleans home where he lived

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans house where Impressionist painter Edgar Degas lived for a time is hosting an exhibit about his sojourn, including a larger-than-painted reproduction of the most important work he did in the city.

The house, now known as the Degas House, was owned by relatives of the artist’s mother and dates to the early 1850s. Degas was 38 and not yet famous when he arrived in 1872 in New Orleans, the city of his mother’s birth, after service in the Franco-Prussian War. He remained in New Orleans for 4 1/2 months.

The exhibit includes reproductions of eight of the 18 paintings he made in New Orleans, some photos of his hosts, Degas and the house; reproductions of letters he wrote home during that time; and other information about his life and work.

The reproductions include “A Cotton Office in New Orleans,” which was the first work by Degas to be bought by a museum. His host family, the Mussons, were in the cotton business, and the scene depicted the office where they worked. The reproduction is about 40 inches across, almost four inches wider than the original, which is owned by the Musee des Beaux Arts in Pau, France.

For more information about Degas House, visit www.degashouse.com. The house, located at 2306 Esplanade Ave., offers tours and is also a bed and breakfast with rates beginning at $99.