Acrobat on the Trapeze
- Date
- 1940
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Amsterdam, Noord-Holland province, Netherlands, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 216
- Dimensions
- 57 3/8 x 35 7/8 in. (145.7 x 91.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- © 2023 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Object Number
- 852:1983
NOTES
Max Beckmann was fascinated by trapeze artists. Their ability to maintain balance made them like “otherworldly beings” for him. Here, he focuses on a single performer in a turquoise leotard against the canary yellow of the circus tent. The painting is notable for its distortions of form; the acrobat’s right arm, for example, is wrapped around the trapeze in an impossible way. The work is signed at bottom right with an “A” to signify that it was painted in Amsterdam, where Beckmann lived from 1937 until 1947.
Provenance
Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Amsterdam, The Netherlands [1]
- 1946
Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), New York, NY, USA, acquired from the artist [2]
1946 - 1956
Frederick A. P. Zimmermann (1906-1967), New York, NY, purchased from Curt Valentin [3]
1956 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Frederick A. P. Zimmermann [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Göpel's catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 547 [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel. "Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on and later notes on who purchased them. This painting appears on Beckmann's Amsterdam list. Beckmann notes that he started the painting around August 10 and finished it on August 18, 1940. He later noted that the painting was purchased by Frederick Zimmermann.
[2] According to a handwritten invoice from Frederick Zimmermann to Morton D. May, Zimmermann purchased the painting from Curt Valentin in December of 1946 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Curt Valentin was Beckmann's dealer and sold works for him on commission.
[3] See note [2].
[4] The purchase of the picture by May from Zimmermann is documented in correspondence and a hand-written invoice dated July 8, 1956 [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.
- 1946
Buchholz Gallery (Curt Valentin), New York, NY, USA, acquired from the artist [2]
1946 - 1956
Frederick A. P. Zimmermann (1906-1967), New York, NY, purchased from Curt Valentin [3]
1956 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Frederick A. P. Zimmermann [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Göpel's catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 547 [Göpel, Erhard and Barbara Göpel. "Max Beckmann: Katalog der Gemälde." Bern: Kornfeld & Cie., 1976]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] Max Beckmann kept lists of most of his paintings which often included the dates that they were worked on and later notes on who purchased them. This painting appears on Beckmann's Amsterdam list. Beckmann notes that he started the painting around August 10 and finished it on August 18, 1940. He later noted that the painting was purchased by Frederick Zimmermann.
[2] According to a handwritten invoice from Frederick Zimmermann to Morton D. May, Zimmermann purchased the painting from Curt Valentin in December of 1946 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Curt Valentin was Beckmann's dealer and sold works for him on commission.
[3] See note [2].
[4] The purchase of the picture by May from Zimmermann is documented in correspondence and a hand-written invoice dated July 8, 1956 [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.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.