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Edgar Degas, The Ballet Class, 1871-1874

What do Degas and R. Kelly have in common? Before you say “nothing”, bear in mind that both men’s work focuses heavily on the fairer sex, although not in a flattering way. Both artists have produced work that’s been described as genius, but when you dig a little deeper, it becomes apparent that both men hated/hate women.

A bit of research into the pair behind two very different styles of art reveals two men who found pleasure in dehumanising women, while taking full advantage of society’s indifference to predatory men. According to a 2009 Vanity Fair article by John Richardson, Degas is on record as saying that he considers women to be animals and took particular pleasure in portraying them “cracking their joints … their feet raw and bleeding”.

Defenders of both would argue for the separation of art and artist, but when one’s work is informed and inspired by the baser elements of human nature, is that really possible?

Perhaps that’s a conversation for another day. The important thing here is that despite the relative freshness of this latest batch of accusations against Kelly, Degas shows us that famous predators are a dime a dozen in the history of humankind, and have been for a very long time.