Jewish Museum Milwaukee

June 14 – September 8, 2019

For Marc Chagall, the circus stage was the ideal setting for the dreamlike, extraordinary acts ever-present in his art. In Le Cirque, he summoned the spectacle of the circus experience in all its colorful variety — clowns, acrobats and women riding bareback, stands brimming with onlookers — as a vivid metaphor for the sometimes precarious artist-lifestyle he had decided to lead. With time, the circus came to lie at the very heart of his personal mythology and became symbolic of the human condition.

Le Cirque consists of 23 color and 15 black-and-white lithographs published in 1967 by Tériade Éditions. The whimsical prints will be accompanied by a display that explores Wisconsin’s grand circus history, and celebrates the tradition of Milwaukee’s Great Circus Parade.

Opening Preview of Chagall’s Le Cirque
Thursday, June 13, 7:00 – 9:00 PM

Big Top Chagall Shebang
Sunday, June 23, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The Flight Portfolio with Best-Selling Author Julie Orringer
Tuesday, July 16, 7:00 – 8:30 PM

Gallery Night / Gallery Day
Friday, July 19, 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 20, 12:00 – 4:00 PM

Inspired Travel: Circus World Baraboo
Wednesday, July 24, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Pop-Up Gallery: The Circus in Modern Art
Thursday, August 1, 6:00 – 8:30 PM
Wine Reception: 6:00 / Lecture: 7:00 PM

Lunch & Learn: Wisconsin’s Great and Hidden Circus History
Friday, August 23, 11:45 AM – 1:30 PM

Image: Portfolio # M-512 © 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris