Zirkusnummer mit Elefanten (Circus Act with Elephants) [p. 67]
1876 to 1900
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
graphite on perforated paper
Dimensions
page size: 13 x 19.6 cm (5 1/8 x 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann
Accession Number
1984.64.63.20
Art Historical Context
**Zirkusnummer mitfanten (Circus with Elephants)** by Max Beckmann captures the lively spectacle of circus life in a intimate drawing executed in graphite on perforated paper. to between 1876 and 1900, this small-scale work (13 x 19.6 cm) hails from what appears to be a sketch page—evident from the perforated edges—showcasing Beckmann's early mastery of quick, expressive lines. As a foundational figure in German Expressionism, Beckmann turned to performers and carnivalesque scenes to explore themes of human drama and spectacle, blending observation with psychological depth. The circus motif h...
About the Artist
Max Beckmann
Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (1884-1950) stands as one of the most significant German painters of the twentieth century, a complex artist who bridged Expressionism and the New Objectivity while forging a deeply personal visual language. Born in Leipzig into a middle-class family, Beckmann's artistic journey spanned from academic classicism through the traumatic crucible of World War I to a mature s...