The circus was hugely popular in Paris from the end of the nineteenth Century until the second world war. There were at one time five permanent circuses in Paris the most famous being Cirque Medrano (formerly Cirque Fernando) in Montmartre which was a source of entertainment and inspiration for many artists and poets who were, captivated by the movement, drama and colour of the performances. Degas, Seurat, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Braque and Leger were amongst those who visited and made important paintings of Cirque Medrano.

Dufy is renowned for his animated depictions of society events and spectacles. Whilst apparently representational, paintings such as the present in fact reflect his view of the world in a language which was often droll, ironic and different from the original scene. In ‘Le Cirque’ Dufy prominently depicts the horse rider flat against a bright yellow ring, with an awestruck audience looking on. Dufy plays with perspective, celebrating the imaginary view so the viewer is in a “Dufy circus”. The use of ochre and pure colour a nod to Dufy’s relationship with fauvism and mastery of vivid tones.

‘Le Cirque’ was commissioned from Dufy by the paediatrician and renowned collector and champion of School of Paris, Alexandre Roudinesco. Other artists in Roudinesco’s collection included Cross, van Dongen, Signac, Utillo and Friesz. After thirty four years Roudinesco sold the painting at Parke Bernet auctions, where it was purchased by another great aficionado, Evelyn Sharp, whose collection (including the present work) was the subject of an exhibition at The Solomon R. Guggenheim in New York. Le Cirque has had an illustrious exhibition history, having also been shown in the 1953-4 Dufy exhibitions at Musée national d’art moderne in Paris and Tate in London.

Other of Dufy’s depictions of the circus are now in a number of public museums such as National Gallery of Art, Washington (‘Circus’, 1924) and Centre Pompidou, Paris (‘Acrobates sur un cheval de cirque’, 1934).