National Gallery Renames Degas' 'Russian Dancers' to 'Ukrainian Dancers'

The National Gallery in London has retitled Edgar Degas' painting 'Russian Dancers' to 'Ukrainian Dancers' following a campaign by a Ukrainian Londoner and a staff member. The change, reported by The Guardian, reflects the dancers' yellow and blue ribbons, indicating Ukrainian nationality. The museum acknowledged the title had long been debated but decided to update it due to heightened attention amid the Ukraine war. Olesya Khromeychuk, director of the Ukrainian Institute London, told Der Spiegel that the mislabeling stems from a lazy tendency to generalize Ukrainian culture as Russian. Mariia Kashchenko, founder of Art Unit, praised the move, noting that Ukrainian heritage is often wrongly described as Russian. The painting was created after Degas saw a performance in Paris late in his life.