Marc Chagall Le Cirque (The Circus), 1967; Taking place in the lively arena of a circus full of eager onlookers, four Acrobats take the stage. In a dazzling spectacle of color, these performers each bring their own talent and energy to the show. A figure in green to the right twirls a hoop madly while three figures to the left stack upon each other in a marvelous display of balance and coordination. One man in pink rides a bicycle while another in red stands upon the seat and yet another in green balances upside down on his head at the very top. The piece is further accented by the stacked audience peeking out from behind the striking presence on center stage. Overall, Chagall has successfully translated the feeling of being part of a circus performance where talented performers take hold of one's imagination and fill the viewer with awe and wonder.

Created in 1967, Marc Chagall Le Cirque (The Circus), 1967 is from the book Le Cirque. This work is one of 24 artist's proofs aside from the unsigned, unnumbered edition of 270; numbered 24/24 in pencil in the lower left margin. This work is hand signed by Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887 - Saint-Paul, 1985) in pencil in the lower right margin. This piece was printed by Mourlot, Paris and published by Tériade Éditeur

Provenance:
1. Private Collection - Chicago

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

1) Cramer, Patrick. Marc Chagall, The Illustrated Books: Catalogue Raisonné. Patrick Cramer: Geneva, 1995. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 68 on pgs. 212-213.
2) Gauss, Ulrike, ed. Marc Chagall: The Lithographs, La Collection Sorlier, Stuttgart, 1960. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 491 on pgs. 215, 216, and 218.
3) Mourlot, Fernand. The Lithographs of Chagall, vol. III 1962-1968, Monté Carlo, 1960. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 491 on pg. 127 with details on page 125.

About the Framing:

Framed to archival museum grade conservation standards, Marc Chagall Le Cirque (The Circus), 1967 is framed in a complementary moulding with silk mats. This work is set behind the amazing Optium Tru Vue Plexiglas, which provides full protection while appearing virtually invisible. The Library of Congress uses Optium Tru Vue Plexiglas to protect The Declaration of Independence. This Plexiglas typically costs 10 times more than regular Plexiglas, running at around $1,000 a piece.