The Circus of Picasso

Pablo Picasso, The Circus, (1933) - Drypoint on Monval Laid Paper.

The Pierre Gianadda Foundation of the city of Martigny, Switzerland, shows Picasso's works from a very uncommon angle. This exhibition will be shown until June 17, 2007.


Indeed, more than 300 paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures or photographs related to the topic of the circus are to be discovered.

Pablo Picasso, The Circus, (1933) - Drypoint on Monval Laid Paper

Send in the Clowns features a selection of video and graphic works exploring the theme of the circus in historical and contemporary art. The exhibition includes pieces by Picasso, Chagall, Dame Laura Knight, along with Columbian artist Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s highly entertaining video work, Flea Circus, from the AGGV video collection. The exhibition, presented in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada, parallels the exhibition Circus Magicus, at the Royal BC Museum.
ArtistsPicasso, Chagall, Dame Laura Knight, Cardoso, Maria Fernanda


This exhibition takes part of the understanding process of the Spanish artist born in 1881 in Malaga and who died in 1973. From the blue and pink years until engravings of the 1960 years, the circus was a recurring topic in the life of Picasso. At the turning of the 19th century, Picasso would go to the circus shows in Barcelona. In Paris, for Picasso and his friends, circus would always be an occasion to meet and explore art. But it is only at the end of 1904 and 1905 that the circus would become the central topic of the compositions of this period of his life.