Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/marc-chagall-881" aria-label="More by Marc Chagall" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Marc Chagall</a>
Blue Circus
Presented by the artist 1953
acrobat
adults
animals: birds
animals: fish and aquatic life
animals: mammals
arts and entertainment
bouquet
chicken
circus
donkey
fish
flower
leisure and pastimes
music and entertainment
people
plants and flowers
woman
work and occupations
<p>Chagall drew inspiration from the theme of the circus throughout his life. As a child in Russia, he had been fascinated by the travelling acrobats he saw at village fairs. After he moved to Paris, Ambroise Vollard regularly accompanied him to the circus, where he would sit in the audience and sketch. The chaotic and colourful atmosphere of the circus captivated Chagall. Here, he saw all aspects of life represented, from the comic to the tragic. He later said, 'For me a circus is a magic show that appears and disappears like a world.' Circus performers, with their outlandish costumes and garish make-up, were ideal characters to populate Chagall's dream-like compostions.</p><p><em>Gallery label, April 1997</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
12 February 2010 – 18 April 2010
2010-04-18
12 February 2010 – 18 April 2010
2010-04-18
2010-02-12
New Art Gallery Walsall (Walsall, UK)
http://www.artatwalsall.org.uk/
2010-02-12
Party Hard
Loan-out
3 December 2010 – 27 March 2011
2011-03-27
3 December 2010 – 27 March 2011
2011-03-27
2010-12-03
Seoul Museum of Art (Seoul, South Korea)
http://seoulmoa.org/html/eng/menu01/contents05.jsp
2010-12-03
Chagall : Magician of Color II
Loan-out
10 December 2016 – 19 March 2017
2017-03-19
10 December 2016 – 19 March 2017
2017-03-19
2016-12-10
Royal West of England Academy (Bristol, UK)
2016-12-10
Strange Worlds: The Vision of Angela Carter
Loan-out
The Blue Circus
support: 349 × 267 mm
frame: 540 × 464 × 45 mm
Presented by the artist 1953
<p>Chagall drew inspiration from the theme of the  circus throughout his life. As a child in Russia,  he had been fascinated by the travelling acrobats  he saw at village fairs. After he moved to Paris,  Ambroise Vollard regularly accompanied him to the  circus, where he would sit in the audience and  sketch. The chaotic and colourful atmosphere of  the circus captivated Chagall. Here, he saw  all aspects of life represented, from the comic to  the tragic. He later said, 'For me a circus is a  magic show that appears and disappears like a  world.' Circus performers, with their outlandish  costumes and garish make-up, were ideal characters  to populate Chagall's dream-like compostions.</p>
Display caption
1997-04-15T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
<strong>Marc Chagall</strong> born 1887 [- 1985]
<p>
<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/chagall-the-blue-circus-n06136" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N06136</span></a> <strong>Le Cirque bleu</strong> (The Blue Circus) 1950
</p><p>
Inscribed 'Marc Chagall' b.r.<br/>
Oil on canvas, 13 3/4 x 10 1/2 (35 x 27)<br/>
Presented by the artist in memory of Velona Pilcher 1953<br/>
<em>Lit:</em> Peterborough, 'London Day by Day' in <em>Daily Telegraph</em>, 12 April 1950, p.4
</p><p>
See the note on <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="/art/artworks/N06135" onclick="popTateObjects(event, -1, 'N06135');" title="View details of this artwork"><span>N06135</span></a><!-- above -->.
</p><p>
<strong>Published in:</strong><br/>
Ronald Alley, <em>Catalogue of the Tate Gallery's Collection of Modern Art other than Works by British Artists</em>, Tate Gallery and Sotheby Parke-Bernet, London 1981, p.115, reproduced p.115


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Catalogue entry
2000-04-13T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
acrobat adults animals: birds animals: fish and aquatic life animals: mammals arts and entertainment bouquet chicken circus donkey fish flower leisure and pastimes music and entertainment people plants and flowers woman work and occupations