Edgar Degas
Degas's only showing of sculpture during his life took place in 1881 when he exhibited "The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years". A nearly life-size wax figure with real hair and dressed in a cloth tutu, it provoked a strong reaction from critics, most of whom found its realism extraordinary but denounced the dancer as ugly. In a review, J.-K. Huysmans wrote: "The terrible reality of this statuette evidently produces uneasiness in the spectators; all their notions about sculpture, about those cold inanimate whitenesses ... are here overturned. The fact is that with his first attempt Monsieur Degas has revolutionized the traditions of sculpture as he has long since shaken the conventions of painting."
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
"Les Demoiselles" would not be exhibited until 1916, and not widely recognized as a revolutionary achievement until the early 1920s, when André Breton (1896–1966) published the work. Richardson goes on to say that Henri Matisse was fighting mad upon seeing the "Demoiselles" at Picasso's studio. He let it be known that he regarded the painting as an attempt to ridicule the modern movement; he was outraged to find his sensational "Blue Nude," not to speak of "Bonheur de vivre," overtaken by Picasso's "hideous" whores. He vowed to get even and make Picasso beg for mercy. Just as the "Bonheur de vivre" had fueled Picasso's competitiveness, "Les Demoiselles" now fueled Matisse's.