Marc Chagall

Estate of the artist, Paris
Private Collection, Paris
Private Collection (sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 13, 1997, lot 59)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Hommage à Marc Chagall, 1969-70, no. 198
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Marc Chagall, Peintures récentes 1967-77, 1977-78, no. 11
Paris, Galerie Enrico Navarra, Marc Chagall, 1989, p. 47
Tokyo, Galerie Enrico Navarra, Marc Chagall, 1993
Seoul, Ho-Am Art Gallery, Marc Chagall, 1993, p. 105
Kochi, Kochi Museum of Art, Marc Chagall, 1993
Taipei, Sun Yat Sen Memorial, Marc Chagall, 1993-94
Bejing, Palais des Beaux Arts de Chine, Marc Chagall, 1994
Hong Kong, Museum of Modern Art, Marc Chagall, 1994

Ever since his childhood, when he had seen the acrobats in the streets of the Russian town of Vitebsk where he lived with his family, Chagall was fascinated by the theme of the circus, and often returned to this subject-matter in his oeuvre.  The arrival of the circus signified the sudden invasion of the wondrous into the rhythm of everyday life, the transformation of the humdrum into a form of art that left behind a lingering sensation of happiness and amazement.  For Chagall, this had an allegorical connection with his own art and its performance, for he could never feel himself to be a painter alone but also a magician, actor and clown.

The central figure dominating the present picture is a ballerina, dancing in the ring of the circus.  Once more, Chagall's division of the canvas into separate compartments is reminiscent of the icon tradition.  At the lower right, a circus rider balances on a horse, dancing to the tune of a clown playing the flute, below a violin player with half-cock, half-human features.  The spectators, in yet another space, hover above this group of figures, flanking the ballerina at the centre of the composition.

Writing of his experiences at the Circus, Chagall commented: "Another time I saw another girl.  She looked to me like a bareback rider without a horse.  In the nakedness of the courtyard her transparent body stocking glistened.  I was struck dumb with fear, dreaming of her at night.  These visions have transfixed me, although the transparent girl, as well as the boy, evaporated long ago.  Where can they be?  Where will they end their days?"  (Marc Chagall, Chagall - Le Cirque, 1981).