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This short note addresses the question whether Degas should be considered the last of the academics or the first of the modernists. While it may be possible to argue in favor of either thesis, in this note I will provide examples that lead me to believe that Degas should be considered a modernist. The following are the key points that I would like to consider. Degas’ interest for the new techniques and the foreign art. In the mid 1800s there was a continued increase of exchanges between Europe and foreign countries. The exchange was not only commercial but also involved cultures, ideas, and styles. At that time the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai was searching for new ideas and techniques from his European colleagues, although at that time such exchanges were opposed by the Japanese government. Similarly, European artists started to express more desire to learn from exotic cultures. This modernist trend manifested itself also in new materials, such as pastels, yellow wax, real hair, real cloth for sculptures, etc. Degas’ interest for unconventional subjects. The interest on prostitutes, poor people, working class people is a sign of change in the society and a departure from the traditionalists attitude of choosing subjec