1940, Max Beckmann, Circus Caravan -- Stadel Museum (Frankfurt)
From the museum label: For Beckmann, the circus and the stage were symbols of human existence. Like a director, he enacted the great 'theatre' of life. Beckmann himself appears repeatedly alongside actors, jugglers and artists. Here, he can be seen as a newspaper-reading circus director, with his wife Mathilde, depicted as a fortune teller, is lying on a sofa in front of him. Beckmann's works are ambiguous, with numerous personal allusions. This painting seems to reflect the oppressive conditions during his exile in Amsterdam. It was the first of his paintings to be acquired by the Städel after 1945.
1940, Max Beckmann, Circus Caravan -- Stadel Museum (Frankfurt)
From the museum label: For Beckmann, the circus and the stage were symbols of human existence. Like a director, he enacted the great 'theatre' of life. Beckmann himself appears repeatedly alongside actors, jugglers and artists. Here, he can be seen as a newspaper-reading circus director, with his wife Mathilde, depicted as a fortune teller, is lying on a sofa in front of him. Beckmann's works are ambiguous, with numerous personal allusions. This painting seems to reflect the oppressive conditions during his exile in Amsterdam. It was the first of his paintings to be acquired by the Städel after 1945.