Roll up, roll up! Exhibitions celebrate the splendour of the circus and the artists it inspired
Shows at Paris’s Musée de Montmartre and the Hepworth Wakefield celebrate the big top's enduring influence on artists
In autumn, two exhibitions will open to celebrate the circus and its influence on notable artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. The first exhibition, "The Circus: a Factory of Modern Art," opens at Musée de Montmartre in Paris, while the second, "Marc Chagall: The Circus," is at the Hepworth Wakefield. The Paris exhibit argues that the circus' circular-vertical structure, dramatic lighting, and colorful costumes inspired a new visual language for modern artists.
Fernand Léger once urged, "Go to the circus, leave your rectangles behind for a world of moving circles!" A rare loan from the Centre Pompidou will feature Léger's Le Cirque Medrano (1918), which earned the nickname "Painters' Circus" due to the artists who frequented it. Other artists depicted in the Paris exhibition include Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Georges Rouault, Georges Seurat, Pierre Bonnard, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall.
The display will include circus props like trumpets, musical saws, and original clown costumes. Marc Chagall's personal connection to the circus is highlighted in the Paris show as well as his own exhibition at the Hepworth Wakefield. Chagall's circus prints reflect his fascination with change and excitement throughout his life.
Additionally, a rare Chinese vase with Buddhist lions and a moody landscape by Lois Dodd will be showcased at the Hastings Contemporary exhibition, examining the impact of School of Paris painter School of London counterpart. A research project at the Stedelijk Museum also sheds light on some of the artist's techniques.
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