Lot 188

Jan Bauch (1898 - 1995) CIRCUS – A SET OF 15 PRINTS

“I draw or paint circuses as man’s eternal restless desire to go beyond the bounds of the possible.  It is a parable of the restlessness of the human spirit in the field of science and technology, which in modern times is now capable of doing today what was impossible yesterday. But I sense a stronger connection with art. Art is the eternal attempt to go beyond all boundaries, and this courage is the source of beauty.”

This set of 15 prints portrays acrobats, female trick riders, cycle and ring performers, horsemen and clowns, their acts defying the laws of gravity and inaccessible to other mortals. The set includes a manuscript of poems as well as a printed version.

In the 20th century, circus themes became a phenomenon that was reflected in various areas of art. Bauch’s oldest picture featuring this motif dates from 1960; he created more in the 1970s, and later he made a set of prints.

Rea Michalová, Jan Bauch – monografie, esej, Galerie Art Praha, 2012, pp. 357–358.