Artist: Marc Chagall

Title: The Circus

Medium: Lithograph on Arches wove paper

Sheet: 11.41 × 9.05 in

Framed: 14.41 × 12.05 in

Printer: Atelier Mourlot, Paris, 1968

Signature: Signed in the plate

Published for Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York

About This Work

The circus was one of Chagall's most beloved and enduring subjects — a world of acrobats, clowns, and performers that he returned to throughout his life as a metaphor for the human condition: joyful, precarious, and shot through with wonder. The Circus belongs to a rare and significant publication produced for the Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York in 1968, issued to accompany and promote a series of 27 gouaches by Chagall — making this lithograph both a work of art in its own right and a document of one of the most important gallery relationships in twentieth-century art.

Pierre Matisse — son of Henri Matisse — was Chagall's primary American dealer for decades, championing his work to collectors and institutions across the United States. Publications produced under his gallery's name are among the most carefully considered and collectible of Chagall's printed editions.

Printer & Technique

Printed at Atelier Mourlot, Paris — the legendary workshop responsible for lithographs by Picasso, Matisse, Miró, and Chagall himself across five decades. Mourlot's mastery of the medium ensured a fidelity of colour and line that set the standard for fine art lithography in the twentieth century. Executed on Arches wove paper, prized for its archival quality and receptivity to the lithographic process.

Provenance & Publication

Issued by Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, 1968, in conjunction with Chagall's series of 27 gouaches. Printed by Atelier Mourlot, Paris. Signed in the plate by the artist.

Condition & Framing

Presented in excellent condition. Custom framed with archival materials to 14.41 × 12.05 in. Please allow up to 3 weeks for fulfillment.