Acrobats
- Artist
- Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950
- Date
- 1937–39
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Amsterdam, Noord-Holland province, Netherlands, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 216
- Dimensions
- left panel: 78 7/8 x 35 3/4 in. (200.3 x 90.8 cm)
center panel: 79 x 66 1/8 in. (200.7 x 168 cm)
right panel: 78 3/4 x 35 5/8 in. (200 x 90.5 cm) - Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- © 2023 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Object Number
- 851:1983a-c
NOTES
More than a dozen figures-including acrobats, tight-rope walkers, a snake handler, and other characters-bind together the panels of this triptych. The circus costumes, activities, and congested interior setting allow Max Beckmann to convey his somewhat dark view of human nature and the world. The painting's title refers not only to the theme of circus performers, but also to what Beckmann saw as the role of the artist and his art: taking risks, thrilling the viewers, and astonishing the mind and senses.
Provenance
- 1946
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Amsterdam, The Netherlands [1]
1946
Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), New York, NY, USA, acquired from the artist [2]
1946 - 1955
Wright S. Ludington, Santa Barbara, CA, purchased from Buchholz Gallery [3]
1955/12/04 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Wright S. Ludington through Stephan Lackner [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on. This painting is included in Beckmann's Amsterdam list. Beckmann notes that he worked on the painting around August 25, 1939 [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel."Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976, cat. no. 536].
[2] Beckmann shipped "Acrobats" to his dealer, Curt Valentin, in New York, for an exhibition of his work held from April 23 to June 25, 1946. According to the handwritten shipping record, the painting was one of fourteen works on the ship "Delftdyk" which left Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on January 14, 1946 and arrived in New York on February 9, 1946 [Curt Valentin Papers, Museum of Modern Art, New York].
[3] By the time the exhibition catalog for the Curt Valentin show was published, the painting was already listed as being in the collection of Wright Ludington, indicating that it had been sold by that time ["Max Beckmann: His Recent Works from 1939 to 1945." New York: Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), 1946, cat. no. 1]. On April 1, 1946, Valentin reported to Beckmann that he had already sold the "Acrobats" to Ludington [Curt Valentin Papers, Museum of Modern Art, New York].
[4] The sale of the triptych from Ludington through Lackner to May is documented in correspondence and a bill of sale dated December 4, 1955 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Amsterdam, The Netherlands [1]
1946
Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), New York, NY, USA, acquired from the artist [2]
1946 - 1955
Wright S. Ludington, Santa Barbara, CA, purchased from Buchholz Gallery [3]
1955/12/04 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Wright S. Ludington through Stephan Lackner [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on. This painting is included in Beckmann's Amsterdam list. Beckmann notes that he worked on the painting around August 25, 1939 [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel."Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976, cat. no. 536].
[2] Beckmann shipped "Acrobats" to his dealer, Curt Valentin, in New York, for an exhibition of his work held from April 23 to June 25, 1946. According to the handwritten shipping record, the painting was one of fourteen works on the ship "Delftdyk" which left Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on January 14, 1946 and arrived in New York on February 9, 1946 [Curt Valentin Papers, Museum of Modern Art, New York].
[3] By the time the exhibition catalog for the Curt Valentin show was published, the painting was already listed as being in the collection of Wright Ludington, indicating that it had been sold by that time ["Max Beckmann: His Recent Works from 1939 to 1945." New York: Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), 1946, cat. no. 1]. On April 1, 1946, Valentin reported to Beckmann that he had already sold the "Acrobats" to Ludington [Curt Valentin Papers, Museum of Modern Art, New York].
[4] The sale of the triptych from Ludington through Lackner to May is documented in correspondence and a bill of sale dated December 4, 1955 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.