Little Dancer of Fourteen Years
The "Little Dancer" wax sculpture we see today is a reworked version of the original sculpture that was shown in 1881. After seeing the wax sculpture in Degas’ living quarters in April 1903, the New York collector Louisine Havemeyer expressed interest in buying the wax. After proposing a bronze or cast wax of the sculpture, which Mrs. Havemeyer refused, Degas took his wax figure upstairs to his working studio and told Vollard he was reworking the sculpture for Havemeyer for 40,000 francs. Degas never sold the sculpture to Mrs. Havemeyer. After Degas died, it was found in a corner of his studio. Paul Lefond, Degas’ biographer, described the "Little Dancer" wax after Degas’ death as "nothing but a ruin;" and Mary Cassatt telegraphed Mrs. Havemeyer "Statue Bad Condition." However, the wax sculpture we know today is not a ruin. It is Degas' reworked second version of his wax figure. At some point before Degas extensively reworked his sculpture, he allowed a plaster to be cast from the wax figure. This recently re-discovered plaster records the "Little Dancer"’s original pose, bodice, and hairdo. The plaster is now in a private collection in the United States.
Attila Dargay
He began working as a scenery painter for the Hungarian National Theatre in the late 1940s. Hedirected such animations productions as "Hajra, Mozdony!" (1972), "Mattie the Goose-boy" (1977), "The Little Fox" (1981), "Szaffi" (1983), and "Captain of the Forest" (1988). He studied at the College of Fine Arts in Budapest until 1948 when he was discharged because of political reasons. From 1951 he worked as a stage setting painter at Hungary's National Theatre, and in parallel he worked as a trainee on animated films, from 1954 he worked as a cartoon planner. He became an animated-film director in 1957, his first independent director-piece being the "Don't give in little man!" ("Ne hagyd magad emberke!") in 1959. He started working at the then formed Pannonia Film Studio in 1957. His films are popular among both children and adults. He is also author of several animated books and comic strips. His best known strip figure is dog Kajla (Kajla kutya). His good humour reflects in all his works, which made all generations laugh among his audience. In 2008 his most known animated movie was re-filmed by György Gát, but Dargay did not approve using his original characters because he did not agree with the spirit of the new movie. He died a year later, aged 82 in Budapest.