Circus Acrobat, New York
1936
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
overall: 28.1 x 22.2 cm (11 1/16 x 8 3/4 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Ilse Bing Wolff
Accession Number
2001.147.44
Art Historical Context
**Circus Acrobat, New York (1936) by Ilse Bing captures the dynamic of urban entertainment during the Great Depression era. Shot in New York City, this gelatin silver print showcases Bing's keen eye for everyday spectacle, likely drawing from the vibrant circus scene that offered brief escapism amid economic hardship. As a pioneering modernist photographer—often called the "Queen of the" for her masterful use of the compact 35mm camera—Bing elevated street photography with her innovative angles and sensitivity to motion, turning fleeting moments into timeless compositions. The medium of gelat...
About the Artist
Ilse Bing
Ilse Bing, born on March 23, 1899, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, into a prosperous Jewish merchant family, grew up immersed in music and art. The daughter of Louis Bing and Johanna Elli Bing (née Katz), she pursued studies in mathematics and physics at the University of Frankfurt starting in 1920, later shifting to art history and architecture. A semester at Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Institut in...