Circus Caravan, Max Beckmann
Max Beckmann
Circus Caravan
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Max Beckmann

Circus Caravan, 1940


Dimensions
86.3 x 118.5 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
SG 1127
Acquisition
Acquired in 1951
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 9

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About the Work

For Beckmann, the circus and the stage were symbols of human existence. Like a director, he enacted the great “theatre” of life. Beckmann himself appears repeatedly alongside actors, jugglers and artists. Here, he can be seen as a newspaper-reading circus director, with his wife Mathilde, depicted as a fortune teller, is lying on a sofa in front of him. Beckmann’s works are ambiguous, with numerous personal allusions. This painting seems to reflect the oppressive conditions during his exile in Amsterdam. It was the first of his paintings to be acquired by the Städel after 1945.

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Last update

18.07.2024